


Love Is...Everything

by JoMouse



Series: Christmas at the Coffee Shop [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Don't copy to another site, Kid Fic, M/M, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-22 12:16:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17059625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse
Summary: A year ago, Liam and Zayn got together through presents left beneath the Christmas tree at Zayn's coffee shop. This year, someone is leaving presents for both of them.A sequel toChristmas Tree.





	1. Tuesday

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings!
> 
> Well, this worked out so well last year, I'm challenging myself again with a sequel.
> 
> Starting today, the plan is to post a chapter of this story every day leading up to and including Christmas Day. Now, I only have (as I post the first chapter) four of those days written, so cross your fingers that I can manage to finish the story (although it is pretty much planned out).
> 
> Some chapters will be long, some will be short. Some will be angsty, some will be fluffy. Some will be silly, some will be sappy. 
> 
> As always, there will be a happy ending!
> 
> Big thanks to all my awesome cheerleaders: Chris, Cristina, Jenn, and Gold!
> 
> Hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> xx-Joey
> 
> Don't know 'em. Don't own 'em. Don't show 'em.  
> (And although it shouldn't need to be said, please do not repost any of my works to any other site, especially GoodReads. Thanks.)

The coffee shop bustled with activity as Zayn stretched to reach the top of the Christmas Tree to adjust the star that had somehow managed to slip to the side. As he pulled his hands back, the bells over the door jangled and a voice shouted, “Z!” Smiling, he squatted down and held his arms open as a small body plowed into him laughing. “Arthur!!! Did you have fun with Nana and Grandpapa?” he asked, looking up as they were joined by someone else.

The little boy nodded into his shoulder before letting go and turning to his father standing behind him. “We had the best time! We decorated their tree and made plans for Christmas Day! They’re going to come to stay at the house so they can see when I open presents from you!”

“Shhhh,” Zayn hissed, rising to his feet. “Remember, that’s a secret. Now, why don’t you go see if Harry has any treats for you.” He pushed the boy towards the counter before turning towards the other man and stepping readily into his arms. Sighing with contentment when a kiss was pressed to the top of his head.

“At some point, we are going to have to tell him you aren’t really Santa Claus, love,” Liam whispered. “Although I do admit, I long to keep him innocent for as long as I can.”

They both watched as Arthur spoke to Harry whose long body was draped over the counter to converse with the boy. They were both giggling when they waved Zayn and Liam over. Smiling, the two took a couple of steps toward the counter, jumping when Arthur screamed, “Stop!” drawing the attention from the few patrons in the shop. Soft smiles graced the faces as Arthur covered his mouth, giggling. Harry was outright laughing as he pointed above Zayn and Liam’s heads.

Zayn knew what was happening without looking, but he waited until Liam looked up and spotted the mistletoe before tilting Liam’s face down to press a tender kiss to his smiling lips. They broke apart when Arthur let out a cheer immediately followed by a fake gag; the boy hated public displays of affection as a rule but loved knowing that his father was happy.

In the past year as Zayn and Liam’s relationship had grown, Arthur had been there to cheer them on, but Zayn still wondered if Arthur was really alright with everything. He remembered the young boy sitting in his lap while Zayn was playing Santa Claus and asking for a husband for his father, but there were times he would look over and see Arthur watching them, a strange look on his face. He’d tried asking the boy if he were alright with everything and he’d always get a bright smile and a positive answer, but Zayn still wondered. 

He looked over towards the door as the bells jangled again, two more children pushing through, a small dog on a leash following behind. That was one of the biggest changes to the coffee shop in the past year, he’d gone through all of the proper channels to make the shop pet-friendly. It had brought in more business and Arthur loved playing with all of the animals. “Hi, Z!” shouted the boy as the girl threw her arms around Liam’s waist.

“G-squared!” Zayn greeted, laughing when all of the kids rolled their eyes. The two kids who were regulars at the shop had become even more after the previous Christmas. They began staying with either Zayn or Liam while their mom was working either of their jobs. When Liam and Arthur had moved into Liam’s childhood home, he sub-let his flat, at a discounted rate, to the kids and their mother so they could get out of the shelter where they’d been staying.

When Stacey had lost one of her jobs due to budget cuts, Zayn had taken her on at the coffee shop, leaving her schedule flexible and allowing her to spend more time with the kids, which seemed to make everyone happy. Today she was working at her housekeeping job, so the kids were staying with Zayn at the coffee shop until the bus dropped her off at midnight.

As the kids got treats from Harry and made their way to their normal sofa, Zayn tugged on Liam’s arm, pulling him toward the door hidden behind the tree which opened to the stairwell leading to Zayn’s flat. They raced up the stairs, giggling like children themselves. Reaching the top, Liam crowded Zayn against the door kissing him deeply before pressing their foreheads together, eyes squinting shut with a big smile that Zayn mirrored.

“Got a surprise for you,” he whispered, laughing when Zayn wiggled his eyebrows lasciviously. “Mind out of the gutter, love,” he said, reaching into his bag that was hooked over his shoulder and holding out a manilla envelope.

“What’s this?” Zayn asked, taking it and turning it over in his hands, feeling the slight heft of it, curiosity piqued. 

“Open it,” Liam told him, reaching into Zayn’s apron pocket and pulling out his keys to unlock the flat door.

Zayn dropped down on the sofa while Liam hung his bag and jacket by the door. Leaning against the wall, he removed his boots and slipped into the shoes he kept there. Liam settled next to Zayn, just as he was pulling out the contents of the envelope.

The graphic novel was like something out of a dream. Zayn ran his hands over the artwork he knew so well he saw it in his sleep. The title, Captain Fireproof, taking up the top half of the cover with Zayn’s signature “Z” in the lower corner above the logo for Destiny Publishing, Liam’s company.

Zayn felt Liam brushing a hand over his cheeks. “What’s wrong?” Liam asked, chewing into his lower lip, brown eyes soft and worried.

Zayn let out a wet laugh. “Nothing wrong. This is amazing.” Liam wiped at Zayn’s cheeks again. “Happy tears. I just...I’ve always dreamt of holding my own work like this.” 

Liam blinked back his own tears as he turned Zayn’s face towards his, kissing him gently, careful not to crush the book between them. “This is just a test copy. You need to look it over for errors or things you want to change.” Zayn opened it carefully, eyes scanning the first page critically. “It doesn’t have to be today. You know the offices are closing the day after tomorrow for the holidays.”

Zayn nodded absently, still focused on the images in front of him. With a fond shake of his head, Liam stood and pressed a kiss to the top of Zayn’s head before leaving the flat to head back down to the coffee shop to join his son and the other children in cups of cocoa and pastries.

About an hour later, Zayn made his way down the stairs and found Liam sitting on the regular sofa, head back and eyes closed. Arthur sat on the floor between the sofa and the low table in front of it, an assembled and half-decorated gingerbread house in front of him. Arthur held a piping bag of white icing in his hands, eyes squinted shut and tongue between his teeth as he drew a window on one side of the house, mirroring the one already on the other side. Several small bowls of candies were on the table and Zayn could see several of them already attached to the house.

Before he could ask where the other kids were, they came back in through the door with their pup Reggie. The pup shook his fur and Zayn noticed snowflakes on Gwen’s hat. Smiling, he went over and helped them remove their outerwear. He offered to take Reggie up to the flat, but the pup made his way to one of the dog beds in the corner and curled up for a nap.

The kids ran back toward the table, shouting at Arthur and startling Liam who flailed his arms, looking around frantically. His gaze locked on Zayn when he laughed, a smile curling his lips as he gave a shy wave, his cheeks pinking slightly. “It’s getting late, you should probably head home,” Zayn suggested, but Liam shook his head and held out grabby hands, pulling Zayn down on the sofa beside him when he was close enough.

“Arthur needs to finish the gingerbread house so that it can set in time for you to take to Mum and Dad tomorrow,” Liam explained, reminding Zayn that he was teaching art lessons at the senior complex the following day; he’d honestly forgotten in the excitement of the preview copy of Captain Fireproof.

They sat quietly and watched the kids work together on the gingerbread house talking about Christmas and everything else in their lives; jumping from topic to topic as children are wont to do. Zayn’s ears perked up when Gwen said his name. “Yeah, Z’s cool,” Arthur said, smiling over his shoulder at Zayn. 

“Mum’s boyfriend is awful,” Gwen whispered and Zayn narrowed his eyes in confusion, glancing over at Liam to see a similar expression.

“He’s not so bad,” Gavin added, balancing a peppermint stick along the peak of the roof, holding it in place as the icing set a bit.

“He is!” Gwen argued, apologizing when she knocked his hand and the candy rolled down the roof and dropped onto the table, leaving a trail of icing behind. Arthur just shrugged and began adding more icing to the roof and pressing Starbright mints into it, going with the flow. “He’s always calling and taking her out.”

“She’s happy,” her brother said with a shrug.

“I miss her,” Gwen said, brushing at her face where a few tears were starting to fall. “She’s always  going out with Lucas.”

“Papa goes out with Z a lot,” Arthur said, sprinkling coconut on the bits of icing that weren’t covered with mints, making the roof look snow dusted. Zayn would’ve made an appreciative remark, but his heart had stopped beating and his voice was thick in his throat as he listened to the kids.

Liam watched Zayn, worried by the stricken look on his face. He hadn’t even realized Stacey was seeing anyone; her schedule had seemed the same, the kids spending the same amount of time between Zayn and Liam’s places. “Have you met him?” he asked, interrupting the conversation. 

“No,” Gavin responded. 

Gwen pouted as she leaned back against Zayn’s legs. “Why can’t he spend time with us like Z does with Arthur?” she asked.

“Cause Z is super cool,” Gavin responded. “The coolest. Too bad he didn’t meet mum before he met Liam.”

Arthur laughed at that idea. “Z likes men,” he responded. “Right?” He glanced over his shoulder at Zayn, eyes expectant.

“I like your father,” Zayn choked out, mind still reeling, but beginning to feel more comfortable. 

“But he likes women, too,” Liam told him, holding back a smile when his son made a confused noise. He glanced at the other two kids who were looking at Zayn with a curious expression. He hoped Stacey would forgive him for what he was about to do. “Some people like just men, some like just women, and some like both.”

“Then why can’t he date Stacey?” Arthur asked, expression thoughtful.

“You mean date both of us?” Liam asked, wondering what was going on inside his son’s head. 

Arthur shrugged in response and Zayn could feel a growing sickness in his stomach, knowing that wasn’t what Arthur meant. This just solidified his fear that Arthur wasn’t completely on board with Liam and Zayn being together; he might have been in the beginning, but something had changed. He started to get up as Liam opened his mouth, another question on his tongue when Reggie jumped up on the table and licked the side of the gingerbread house sending it off the table. It broke into a bunch of pieces when it hit the floor. In the ensuing chaos, the topic of Zayn dating Stacey was forgotten. At least by everyone except Zayn who disappeared into the back for a broom and another gingerbread house.


	2. Wednesday

Liam groaned as his alarm went off. Rolling over, he stretched an arm out and rubbed it over the cold sheets, remembering that Zayn had stayed in his own flat the night before despite Stacey arriving early and taking Gwen and Gavin home. He hated feeling like Zayn was avoiding him, but he’d been acting strangely since the gingerbread house demolition. Pushing himself out of bed, he reached for his phone, shutting off the alarm before sending off a good morning text to Zayn, wondering if he’d even get a response. His first stop was the bathroom to relieve himself and shower quickly. Once he was clean and dried off, he slipped into the plush black and gold robe Zayn had given him for his last birthday.

Making his way through the house, he smiled at the family pictures that adorned the walls, most of them left behind by his parents and had been hanging since before Liam had been born. He stopped before the photo collage that held all of the foster kids that had come and gone through the years. In the lower left corner was a photo of Liam and his sisters on the sofa, Liam holding Arthur in his arms on the first night the boy had come to stay with them. If someone had told him that ten years later, Liam would have adopted Arthur as his own and moved into his family home with him, he would’ve laughed.

He moved down the hall and found the newest picture on the wall, a gift from his parents when they’d officially moved into the house after his parents had vacated to the flat at the memory care village where his mum had moved when her dementia had gotten too bad for his father to handle on his own. The photo had been taken the previous Christmas by Liam’s oldest sister’s husband. Liam and Zayn sat on the sofa with Arthur between them, Liam’s parents standing behind them. They were all smiling and Arthur was looking up at Liam who was looking over at Zayn who was looking at Arthur, love and adoration clear on all of their faces. 

He was startled out of the memory by the sound of something hitting the floor in the kitchen, followed by Arthur muttering to himself. Hurrying down the hall, Liam found his son on the floor in an apron protecting his school uniform, cleaning up an egg that must have been dropped. Smiling, he grabbed a rag from the counter and knelt next to Arthur to help him with the mess. Standing, he saw a bowl with the dip for French Toast prepared and waiting next to a loaf of bread. Moving to the stove top, he turned the heat on below the pan while Arthur dipped the first piece of bread.

Working together quietly, they quickly had breakfast made and settled at the table together. While Liam dug into his food, Arthur started talking about the day ahead of them. “Don’t forget my concert,” he reminded Liam for the fifth time in as many minutes. “I texted Mr. Niall from your phone while you were sleeping so he can remind you.” Liam chuckled and nodded, thankful that he had the world’s best assistant. That wasn’t just hyperbole, he truly believed there was no better assistant than the young man who had been working for him since he’d started at the company.

“After the concert, we’ll go get Z and go shopping for gifts for the Christmas Tree. I think we should get a few things for Gwen and Gavin, too. I know we already got them gifts for actual Christmas, but they need so much and their mom is working hard but doesn't have much to spare.” Liam smiled affectionately at the proof of the giving spirit of his son, one he hoped he could take partial credit for because he was eternally proud of that trait.

When Arthur stopped talking to start eating, Liam cleared his throat. “Have you figured out what you want to get Zayn, yet?” Arthur ducked his head and took another bite. Liam had been asking the same question every day and every day Arthur refused to answer. He hoped his son would come up with something soon; the gift Liam had hidden in his sock drawer for Zayn was only from him.

Once breakfast was finished, they washed dishes together, leaving them in the drying rack as Liam hurried to get dressed. While Liam was buttoning up his shirt, Arthur came running in with the tie he’d given him the previous Christmas. The tie was black with white snowflakes and the snowman from Frozen in the center above the words, “Some people are worth melting for,” in Disney font. Thus far, he’d avoided wearing it, but his son looked so hopeful, he couldn’t refuse.

As soon as the tie was in place, Arthur used Liam’s phone to take a few pictures before sending one off to Zayn and another to Gwen and Gavin. As he reluctantly handed the phone back before there were any responses, Liam debated again getting Arthur his own phone for Christmas. He finally decided to talk to Zayn and get his input on the decision, not sure if he wanted the other man to be for or against the purchase. 

He sent off a quick text to Zayn saying they needed to talk, noting that his good morning message and the photo had been read, but not responded to. This third message immediately went to read and Liam waited for the ellipses to appear, but by the time Arthur raced in to hurry him out the door, nothing had happened.

After he’d dropped Arthur off and been reminded four more times about the concert, Liam finally entered his office building. The ride up in the lift was filled with compliments on his tie, causing Liam to feel guilty for not wearing it sooner and vowing to begin wearing it as early as socially acceptable the following year. Thankfully, the attention pulled his mind away from worrying about Zayn who had still not sent him a message. 

Exiting on the third floor, Liam was surprised to find Niall’s desk empty, the small radio that he used to play Christmas carols starting the day after Halloween was turned off. He tried to remember if Niall had already left for the holidays, but had been certain the man was staying until the offices closed. 

Liam pushed open his office door and let out a yelp, his hand flying to his chest as his heart leapt into his throat. He had not expected Niall to be sitting in one of the visitor’s chairs across Liam’s desk from his own. The boy’s head was dropped between his shoulders as his elbows rested on his knees, hands locked together in a tight grip. “Alright, Niall?” he greeted, cautiously. Niall shook his head, not looking up at Liam.

Dropping his bag on the floor by the door before he closed it behind him, Liam moved to the other visitor's chair. He laid one of his hands over Niall’s feeling the slight tremor going through his assistant's body. “Niall, what is it? Are you alright?”

Niall nodded his head and then shook it just as quickly. Finally, he took a deep breath and reached over to pull a piece of paper off of Liam’s desk and handing it to him. Confused, Liam glanced over the page quickly. It was a letter addressed to him from Niall. The only words that stuck out were “official notice”.

“You’re leaving?” Liam asked, his breath punched out of him. “Did I do something?”

Niall started shaking his head wildly. “No!” he protested. “No. Bressie got a promotion and they’re moving him back to the firm in Ireland.” Bressie was Niall’s boyfriend, also named Niall. They had met about five years previously at a rugby match. They bonded over discovering they were from the same city in Ireland and sharing the same first name. Although they’d never made anything official, Liam knew that they were forever to each other. “He proposed last night.”

Liam’s face broke into a grin. “Congratulations! We need to celebrate! We’ll get lunch!” He was sad that he was losing the world’s best assistant and he would miss the part of Niall he considered a friend, but he couldn’t help being excited for him as well.

“You’re not upset?” Blue eyes sparkled at Liam hopefully.

“Not even a little bit,” he reassured as he stood and pulled Niall into a hug. “I fully expect an invite to the wedding!”

Niall laughed into Liam’s shoulder, body sagging with relief. “Of course, you and Arthur are invited. Zayn, too!”

Liam tried not to grimace at the small bit of doubt that crept in as his phone remained quiet in his pocket. He chatted with Niall, knowing not much work would be getting done that day, but between the two of them they started making arrangements through Human Resources for a temporary replacement for Niall until a permanent replacement could be found.

Liam was just getting ready to ask Niall where he wanted to go for lunch when the blond came racing into his office, grabbing Liam’s coat from where it was hung. “You gotta go!” he shouted.

“What?” Liam asked but the answer came to him. “Arthur’s concert! I’m not gonna make it!” He hurried into his coat as he raced out the door, Niall following with his bag and car keys. 

“You’ll make it with just a minute or two to spare,” Niall told him. “As long as traffic and everything else is-” He cut off when the lift doors opened to reveal a slender woman in a too short skirt and too low cut top. “What do you want, Tweedy?” he asked as he shoved Liam past her into the lift.

“I’m here to speak with Mr. Payne, not an underling, Horan,” she said in a haughty tone. She turned her attention on Liam, tone changing to something syrupy. “I was sent by the clerical pool, sir.” 

Liam’s eyes widened in panic. There was no way he could work with this woman; the stories about her and even his own experiences had been less than favourable. Thankfully, Niall stepped in and pulled her out. “Well, if you are going to be working for Liam, then I am the one you want to talk to. He is leaving for the day.”

Liam was thankful the lift closed as she made an unfavourable comment about his work ethic. He crossed his fingers that Niall had one more miracle in him and could get rid of her before he returned; he’d rather work without an assistant than with that woman who Niall had overheard saying she’d love to be Arthur’s mummy.

Time was on his side and he slid into the seat his parents had saved for him, smiling at Zayn who was sandwiched between them. He hadn’t expected to see him and when Zayn gave him a shy smile, he asked his father to move so he could sit next to his boyfriend, immediately taking his hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back. When Zayn’s smile grew big enough for his eyes to disappear into crinkles, the stress he’d been feeling melted away.

***

Zayn leaned against the wall of the classroom, his eyes on his phone, the messages from Liam sitting unanswered. He smiled at the picture of Liam in the tie, he looked unimpressed, but Zayn thought the tie was perfect for the man he’d fallen in love with. He thought back over the previous twelve months, amazed how much life had changed and then he thought about the night before and how he saw all the good that had happened slipping away from him.

The text with the photo was from Arthur, so the boy didn’t seem to hate him and if it hadn’t been for Arthur, he and Liam would never have gotten together in the first place. “Then why can’t he date Stacey?” rang through his head, the curious look on Arthur’s face cutting him to the bone. Had Arthur changed his mind about Liam and Zayn being together? His head was beginning to hurt, along with his heart the more he thought about it.

The text from Liam saying they had to talk just made things worse and Zayn had considered calling off from the senior center for the day, but he couldn’t do that to his students. On top of that, he’d promised to deliver the gingerbread house the kids had been working on so hard the night before to Liam’s mother who was due to arrive any moment.

“Zayn!” Karen greeted as she walked in the room, arm threaded through that of her husband. Geoff gave Zayn a warm smile and wave which he tried to return, but feared he fell flat when Karen frowned at him. “Alright, love?”

“Of course, Karen,” he responded, jumping when she swatted him on the arm. “Mum,” he corrected himself, the smile on his face feeling a bit more natural.

“That’s better,” she told him as she spotted the gingerbread house and began cooing over it. 

“You did most of the work, didn’t you?” Geoff teased, but Zayn shook his head. “Well, I’ll run this back to the flat while you and my lovely wife make beautiful pictures to hang and then when you’re done, the three of us will head out.”

Zayn blinked, looking at Geoff. “Where are we going?” He had plans to go shopping with Liam and Arthur, although he’d considered canceling, not wanting to intrude on Arthur’s time with his father, but that wasn't until after Arthur got out of school.

“Arthur’s Christmas concert,” Geoff told him as he exited the room, walking carefully and balancing the gingerbread house in his hands.

“Did you forget?” Karen asked,  concerned. 

Zayn hadn’t forgotten; he’d never been told about it. “I don’t think I’m invited.” He busied himself with the paints, refusing to look at Karen. “Must just be for family.” His hands were shaking when he opened one of the paints and it splattered when he squeezed the bottle too hard.

Karen took the paint bottle out of his hand, settling it on the table and leading Zayn over to one of the sofas in the corner. She went over to the counter and grabbed a rag and knelt in front of Zayn, cleaning off the paint that had gotten on his hands. “You are family, Zayn,” she told him. “You may not share our blood, but your place in our hearts is just as secure as if you did.” She finished cleaning his hands and looked up at him, face more serious than Zayn had ever seen her.

He sniffled, pulling his hand away to wipe at eyes, surprised at just how wet they had become. “How many foster kids did you give that speech to?” he asked, forcing a smile.

Karen chuckled, her eyes a bit wet as well. “Too many, unfortunately.” She stood, pulling Zayn up into a hug.

Geoff walked back into the room just as Zayn pressed a kiss to Karen’s cheek. “Oi! First he steals my grandson’s heart, then my son’s and now he’s after my wife! What’s next?”

Zayn laughed as he released Karen and moved towards Geoff, arms open. “It’s all a part of my grand plan to steal your heart, Geoff!”

He started to drop his arms, but Geoff pulled him into another hug, squeezing tightly. “You’ve already done that, son,” he told him. “And don’t make me remind you again to call me Dad.”

Zayn gave up on holding in his emotions and sobbed quietly into Geoff’s shoulder. “Yes, Dad,” he whispered as Karen wrapped her arms around Zayn from behind, leaning her cheek against his shoulder.

They ended up skipping the painting lesson to grab lunch instead before Zayn allowed himself to be dragged into the auditorium of Arthur’s school. He looked around at all of the parents, grandparents, siblings and other random people who made up the audience. He spotted Stacey and gave her a small wave which she returned. Geoff tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards the stage where three small faces were peeking out from behind the curtain. 

Gwen and Gavin waved as Arthur’s eyes swept the crowd, a frown on his face. Zayn knew he was probably looking for Liam, but a small part of him, a very loud small part of him, was convinced it was because he hadn’t wanted Zayn to come. The lights were just beginning to dim when the curtain fell into place and Zayn could hear stomping feet fading into the distance. He dropped his head and was about it excuse himself when he looked up to see Liam standing at the end of their row, eyes on him.

Liam slid into the seat on the end, smiling around Geoff at him and it was so welcoming that Zayn couldn’t help a small smile in return, his chest beginning to loosen. When Liam asked Geoff to switch places and immediately took Zayn’s hand when they were seated next to each other, kissing the back of it, Zayn felt all of the negative thoughts take a back seat to the warmth of Liam’s hand in his. Leaning his head on Liam’s shoulder, he watched the curtain open and the wide smile on Arthur’s face when he spotted his father in the front row.

***

After the concert was over, Zayn stayed back while Liam and his parents went searching for Arthur, still unsure of how welcome he was at the event. Of course, as was his luck, the first person to find Arthur was Zayn. “Z!” he shouted, throwing his arms around his waist. “You came!”

Zayn blinked down at him, a slow smile coming over his face. “Wouldn’t miss it. Just glad your grandparents told me about it.” He knelt down and hugged the boy.

“Papa didn’t?” Arthur asked, confused. “I knew I should’ve texted you, but every time I got Papa’s phone, I forgot!” The boy smacked himself in the forehead, earning a giggle from Zayn who looked up as Liam and his parents joined them. 

“Sounds like you need your own phone,” Zayn teased, winking at Liam who had mentioned briefly he was thinking about it for Christmas.

“Do you bring phones?” Arthur asked, eyes wide.

“Santa doesn’t,” Zayn corrected, “but maybe you can turn those puppy dog eyes on your Papa and he’ll give in.”

Everyone laughed out loud when Arthur immediately turned to his father and pushed out his lower lip and opened his eyes wide. “We’ll have to wait and see what a good boy you’ve been, won’t we?”

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly and it seemed like not time at all before they were back at the coffee shop with bags full of gifts to put underneath the tree. Zayn headed behind the counter, smiling at a slightly harried Stacey who was helping out a smiling Harry with the line of customers. Working quickly, he got together three hot chocolates for them and went back to the table while Liam and Arthur arranged the gifts around the tree. Liam came back to the table while Arthur hung up several pairs of gloves in various sizes on the boughs of the tree.

They settled on the sofa together, Zayn leaned into Liam’s side, smiling when Liam pulled him closer to his side. They watched Arthur drape a purple scarf around the tree, growling when his ministrations caused a hat to fall off and onto his head. After a few minutes of wrestling, they watched him begin looking at the growing pile of gifts under the tree. Liam knew that a majority of the presents were addressed generically, the understanding being that if a family needed a gift for someone, they were welcome to take it; it was something Zayn had been doing since the coffee shop opened.

As they watched, Arthur drew a small package out from under the tree, his head cocked to the side as he looked it over. As he began to walk towards them, the gift still in his hand, Liam opened his mouth to remind him that they didn’t need to take anything from beneath the tree; they could afford Christmas, but Arthur cut him off when he held it out. “It says it’s for you and Zayn,” he explained.

Zayn took the gift and turned it over in his hand. It was wrapped with newspaper printed with colour comic strips. Written on the top was: To: Zayn and Liam, From: Secret Santa in block letters. He exchanged a look with Liam. “Did you do this?”

“Why would I get myself a gift?” Liam asked and Zayn acknowledged the logic in that statement. He looked at Arthur, but couldn’t figure out when the boy would’ve been able to sneak a present past them. With a shrug, he pulled the paper off to reveal a brown box. Opening it, he pulled out a small slip of paper. Unfolding it, Zayn grinned down at the comic in his hand; it was one of those “Love is…” comics that had been around forever. He tilted it to show Liam the image of the naked little couple kissing in the moonlight, the image encased within a heart.

“Love is...a memory locked in your heart forever,” Liam read, smiling at the paper and taking it to show Arthur who gave it a careful glance before taking it and flattening it on the table. 

“Is there anything else?” Arthur asked and Zayn turned his attention back to the box. Digging through the crimped paper inside, his fingers encountered something small and plastic. Pulling on it, he discovered it was actually two something hooked together by small bead chains.

“What are those?” Arthur asked, moving closer.

Zayn glanced down at the blue plastic and saw his name on the side of one and Liam’s on the other in the same block handwriting from the outside of the gift. “I think they are viewfinders,” he told Arthur who tilted his head in confusion. “You look through this lens here and see a picture,” he explained and Arthur leaned forward to look, giggling.

“You look,” he told Zayn. “You, too, Papa!”

Sharing a smile and without separating the viewfinders so they had to lean close together. Liam let out a soft sound as Zayn took in the image. It was from Christmas the year before, taken in the hospital where they’d officially met. Zayn was sitting up in the bed, the IV still in his arm, so it had been earlier in the day. Arthur was curled up on the bed next to Zayn, his head on Zayn’s chest. Liam was in the chair next to the bed, his head tilted back at an awkward angle, but he was holding Zayn’s hand tightly. Zayn had his other hand tangled in Arthur’s hair while he gazed at Liam softly. He remembered that night pretty clearly for having a concussion, but he had no idea who took the photo.

“Are they the same?” Arthur asked, so they switched.

The image in Liam’s viewfinder was the two of them sitting on the very same sofa they were a year previously. Arthur sat between them, his copy of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas propped open in his lap. Zayn and Arthur were looking at the book, but Liam was looking at the them, a fond smile on his face. Although the picture could have been taken anytime, it wasn’t unusual for them to read the book together, Zayn knew it had been taken the previous New Year’s because of the decorations hanging behind him. He was captured by the look of adoration on Liam’s face, the love practically making him glow.

“Le’me see!” Arthur said, making grabby hands, so they handed over the viewfinders. He took his time looking into each one before setting them down on the table next to the comic. “Phone, please,” he said to Liam who handed his over and watched Arthur take a picture of the items.

“Did you do this, Arthur?” Liam asked. He knew he hadn’t left the gift and from Zayn’s reaction he was fairly certain that he wasn’t behind it.

“I’ve been at school and with you all day, Papa,” Arthur answered, rolling his eyes.

“Good point,” Liam told him. “Zayn?” 

“Not me. You?” Zayn asked, thinking this kind of sweet gift was right up Liam’s alley.

“No. I guess we really do have a secret santa. Should we leave something in return like we did for Zayn last year?” he asked.

Arthur shook his head. “You can’t just address it to Secret Santa. There’s too many of those.”

“Another excellent point. I guess we just have to hope whoever they are, they know we are grateful for such a sweet gift,” Zayn said, glancing up at Harry, who was watching intently while steaming milk for one of the many people still in line.

“Of course they know,” Arthur told him before reaching into his backpack and pulling out a sketchpad Zayn had given him the previous Christmas and began trying to copy the image from the comic strip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you've never seen the comics that are referred to in the story, I will be posting the images at the end of each chapter they are mentioned in.
> 
> Here is the image for Wednesday:  
> [](https://www.ultraimg.com/image/Pymo)  
> ([image link](https://www.ultraimg.com/image/Pymo))


	3. Thursday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! 
> 
> I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I'm currently working on Sunday's chapter and hit a bit of a snag, but it should be fixed in time so no worries, this WIP will be completed.
> 
> xx-Joey

Zayn groaned when the bed underneath him moved and noise filled his head. Rolling over he buried himself in a pillow, ignoring the laughter behind him. “C’mon, babe, time to wake up,” Liam whispered, fingers tickling his side. Although he tried to pout, a smile tickled his cheeks as his brain came online and he remembered he’d stayed the night at Liam’s. It wasn’t the first time, in fact, he’d been staying over at least a few nights a week for around six months.

At first, Zayn had been nervous about overstaying his welcome when he’d come over for dinner or just to hang out. He hadn’t wanted to intrude on Arthur’s time with his father, so he’d made sure to head out before Arthur’s bedtime. Then one night, Liam and Zayn had been working on laying out the Captain Fireproof novel and time had flown by, Arthur had managed to get himself ready for bed and came out to say good night. 

Zayn had scrambled to his feet to leave, but Arthur gave him a hug and told him he should stay because it was too late to be driving back to his flat. Then he’d kissed his father goodnight and headed off to bed. Liam and Zayn had stood in stunned silence for a minute. “I...I don’t know if, like…” Zayn had started.

“He wants you to stay or he would worry,” Liam told him. 

After a few minutes of discussion, Arthur had reappeared and walked over to Zayn’s jacket hanging by the back door. Reaching into the pockets while the two men watched, he’d extracted Zayn’s keys and walked back to his room. “You can get these back tomorrow.”

“I guess I’m staying, then,” Zayn had said to Liam, the both of them chuckling. 

He’d stayed on the sofa the first night, his mind wishing he was down the hall with Liam on his bed, cuddling against the man instead of just wishing he was. He’d gotten very little sleep, so when Arthur had come out of his room, carrying Zayn’s keys, he could barely keep his eyes open.

Arthur had crawled up on the sofa, snuggling into Zayn like he’d been doing it his whole life. “Did you and Papa have a fight?” Zayn shook his head, trying to figure out where his thought process was taking him. “Gwen said before her dad left, he slept on the sofa when he fought with her mum. If you didn’t have a fight, why aren’t you with him?”

After that night, anytime Zayn stayed, he’d made sure to share Liam’s bed; there had even been a few times that Arthur had a nightmare and had climbed into bed with them. Zayn had woken up most of those mornings with Arthur’s feet digging into his ribs, but one memorable morning he’d woken up to Arthur’s head on his chest, soft snores showing how deeply asleep he was.

Now, he pulled his face out of the pillow and pursed his lips at Liam, smiling against the gentle kiss. “I’ve got to get to work, but you can stay as long as you like. Arthur is probably still sleeping. I hate to wake him, would you mind taking him by my parent’s when you need to get to the shop?” Zayn grumbled but opened his eyes to see Liam giving him a soft smile. “I love seeing you in my bed.”

“That works out nicely because I love being seen in your bed,” Zayn teased. “Thought I’d take Arthur shopping with me today. Maybe surprise his papa with lunch?”

“That sounds great. I’ll call my dad and tell him not to expect Arthur,” Liam told him, pressing another kiss to Zayn’s forehead before slipping out of the bedroom. Zayn was asleep before the front door of the house closed.

A couple of hours later, Zayn was awakened by a throat clearing. Blinking sleepily, he pushed himself to sit up and glanced around, confused for a moment before remembering Liam saying goodbye earlier. He discovered Arthur standing in the doorway of the bedroom struggling to carry a tray. Zayn started to get out of bed but stopped when Arthur shook his head. “Got this,” he muttered, moving slowly until he reached the bed where he struggled putting the tray over Zayn’s lap. Zayn kept his hands at the ready to assist if the tray or the items on top began to tumble.

Once the tray was settled, Arthur moved around the bed to climb onto Liam’s side. He arranged the pillows against the headboard and leaned against them before raising his arms above his head and giving Zayn an expectant smile. Laughing, Zayn moved the tray so it sat over Arthur’s legs. 

The tray held two bowls filled with Arthur’s favourite cereal and milk. There were also spoons and napkins, although the napkins were a bit wet from milk that had spilled during the trip from the kitchen. “You made me breakfast,” Zayn said, smiling. Arthur nodded, his mouth already full. “I know you were supposed to go to grandpapa’s today, but how would you like to go do Christmas shopping with me? I need to go check on the mugs for Santa Day.”

Arthur’s nodded his head vigorously, excitement in his eyes. Ever since he’d figured out it had been Zayn in the Santa suit the previous Christmas at the coffee shop, he’d held firm to the belief that Zayn was actually the real Santa Claus, a secret he kept to himself. The only people he’d told were Liam and his parents. Zayn could only imagine what was going through his head now.

After breakfast, it only took them a half hour to get ready to leave the flat. Zayn locked the door behind them with the key Liam had given him ‘just in case’ a few months earlier. It was a rare occasion he actually used it, so he still felt a little thrill each time he did, thinking about the trust Liam put in him. Although Liam trusted Zayn with his son, so he shouldn’t be surprised.

“Where are we getting the mugs from?” Arthur asked once they were on the bus.

“I have a friend who helps me design and order them,” Zayn explained. “Do you remember last years?”

“Yeah, they were shaped like Santa heads and his hat was the handle. It has the name of the coffee shop and 2017 around the brim of the hat! I still have mine!” Arthur told him. “Grandpapa tried to steal it!” 

“I have a box left over from last year, maybe we can give a set to your grandparents for Christmas this year, even if the year is wrong,” Zayn offered.

“Perfect!” Arthur clapped his hands. “We can make a basket and put coffee and cocoa in it! It can be from you and me!”

“What about Papa?” Zayn couldn’t help but be taken in by the boy’s excitement.

“Just us,” Arthur responded, voice serious. “It’s our thing.”

Zayn’s heart warmed just as the bus stopped. He lead Arthur off the bus by his shoulders, smiling as Arthur took him by the hand when they got onto the pavement. Walking together the short distance to his friend's shop, they looked in the store windows. Arthur loved the lights and they stopped a couple of times just to point out different things. They ducked into a bakery that had cookies shaped like Santa displayed in the window.

“Don’t tell Harry,” Zayn whispered as they each ate a cookie.

Finally, they reached Holiday Haven, his friend's shop. He held the door open and let Arthur go in before him, anticipating his reaction. Arthur gasped as a bit of snow fell from the ceiling over him, activated by the door opening and stopping as soon as it closed. The lights flashed briefly and his friend appeared in front of them dressed in a traditional elf costume. Shaking his head, Zayn knew she had dressed like this on purpose after he’d texted to tell her he was stopping in with Arthur.

“Santa!” she squealed, giggling when her eyes fell on his companion. “And Arthur Payne, Santa’s little helper! Welcome to Holiday Haven! My name is Eowyn!” She bowed low and when she stood up, Arthur bowed in return but his jaw was still dropped in awe.

“Eowyn,” Zayn greeted, pulling her into a hug. 

“Your shop is beautiful,” Arthur finally exclaimed, his eyes darting everywhere and taking in the decor. 

Zayn had to agree, Eowyn decorated for every holiday but always went overboard for Christmas. There were white fairy lights and snow covering just about every surface. A model train ran around a shelf along the top of the walls, playing Christmas carols instead of a whistle each time it disappeared into or reappeared from the back room. There were gifts of every shape and size decorating the shelves.

“Take a look around, young man!” she encouraged. “There is a plate of cookies and a mug of cocoa with your name on it by the register.” Zayn knew she meant the mug literally had his name on it because that was just Eowyn’s way.

Arthur looked at Zayn for permission and he nodded. “Don’t touch anything!” he warned.

“Touch everything!” Eowyn corrected, leaning down and speaking behind her hand like it was a secret. Arthur giggled as he ran off, disappearing from view quickly.

“Must you encourage his delusion?” Zayn teased, tapping the pom-pom on her elf hat.

“Absolutely!” Eowyn said, her smile fading a bit. “Every child deserves to hold onto magic for as long as they can and if that child believes in Santa and that you are him, I will never discourage that belief.”

He didn’t know much about her life, although they’d been doing business together for as long as the shop had been open and he liked to think of themselves as friends. There were days he was convinced she actually was some kind of mystical creature, but then there were times when he got a feeling that her life was a lot harder than she would ever let anyone know. This was one of those times. Instead of saying anything, he just hugged her again.

“So, are the mugs ready?”

Eowyn led the way to the workshop in the back of the shop, the two of them passing Arthur who was kneeling next to a dollhouse and looking inside. He was speaking quietly to himself, but Zayn heard Gwen’s name and he wondered how much the dollhouse cost. Before he could ask, Eowyn was holding out a white mug, her smile wide. 

Zayn took it from her and turned it over in his hands. On one side was the coffee shop logo, Santa Day, and the year. As he turned the mug, he had to blink back tears. “Arthur,” he said, voice so quiet even he could barely hear it. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Arthur, come see this.”

Arthur appeared a minute later, looking at Zayn with worried eyes. Carefully, he handed Arthur the mug with the logo showing. “What do you think?”

Arthur took in one side of the mug and then slowly turned it, his eyes widened as he took in the picture on the other side. It was a drawing of Santa holding hands with a small blond boy and although it was clearly a child’s drawing, it was very clear. “That’s my drawing!” he said. “You used my drawing I gave you!” 

He started to jump up and down, waving the mug in his excitement, so Eowyn took the mug away. As soon as she did, Arthur threw his arms around Zayn’s waist. “I love you, Santa!”

They stayed at the shop for another hour, Zayn relaxing in an overstuffed armchair with a cup of coffee while Arthur followed Eowyn around the shop, listening to the petite blonde tell him about anything and everything. At one point, Zayn lost track of them and figured they must’ve headed into the workshop. He started to rise to get up and follow them, but Eowyn’s tiny chihuahua chose that moment to jump into his lap, so he stayed in the chair.

Just as Zayn began to doze off, Arthur and Eowyn reappeared, a small box in the boy’s hand that he was shoving into his rucksack, eyes locked on the blonde. “Thank you,” he whispered to her before spotting the dog in Zayn’s lap and running over to play with him.

***

Liam rode the elevator greeting a couple of people who were in the offices for the last day before the holidays, his lips quirked in a smile as he listened to one of the copywriters talk about his toddler’s excitement over Santa Claus. He made sure to tell the man about the upcoming Santa Day at Zayn’s shop. He was still smiling when the elevator doors opened to reveal Niall’s desk with definitely-not-Niall sitting behind it.

“Where’s Niall?” Liam asked without greeting.

“Good morning, Li-”

“Mr. Payne,” he snapped, not appreciating her attempt at familiarity. “Where’s my assistant?”

“I’m right here,” she responded, batting her eyes at him and he wondered if the clearly false lashes could create enough breeze to knock the papers on the desk.

“No. Where is Niall?” Liam was growing impatient and wondered if he would be able to have Security escort the woman from his offices.

At that moment, Niall came rushing out of Liam’s office, looking harried. “You have an interview in a half-hour,” he shouted before stopping and pulling out his chair, with the woman still in it. “Move or I’ll sit on you.” The woman moved. “I found someone I think is perfect. She’ll be here in a half-hour.”

Liam smiled at Niall, having no idea if he was bluffing or not when the blond winked at him, but it was enough for him to turn to the pushy woman. “You’re dismissed. I will contact the clerical pool if we require your services.”

She opened her mouth to speak, his name coming out in an unbecoming whine. Without a word, Liam turned on his heel and strode into his office and closed the door behind himself. He heard Niall cackling through the door as he moved to his desk and began double checking the end of year paperwork.

He was in the process of typing up an email response to one of their most popular authors when there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” he called, rising from his chair to greet the interview, stopping when he saw who it was. “Stacey?”

“Surprise,” she said, her voice nervous as she waved jazz hands at him.

“How? I didn’t even know you were looking for a new job? Is everything alright?” He gave her a hug and ushered her to one of the seats in front of his desk, taking the other one.

“Everything’s fine, Liam. I wasn’t actively looking for another job, but I ran into Niall about a week ago at the coffee shop and was complaining about midnights and how exhausted I always am and how much I missed my kids and hated taking advantage of you and Zayn-”

Liam held up a hand. “We love Gwen and Gavin; it’s not taking advantage.”

“I know, but I miss my kids and now that…” She trailed off looking around.

“Now that you’re seeing someone?” Liam asked, smiling. “Gwen and Gavin mentioned Lucas.” Stacey’s face flushed. “Is it serious?”

“It could be,” she admitted. “I really like him and he has a daughter a little older than Gwen, so the single mum thing isn’t a dealbreaker.”

“The kids mentioned wanting to meet him. Have you met his daughter?” She shook her head. 

“We discussed doing something after the holidays, all of us together. Do you think that’s a good idea?” She looked so nervous and was chewing her lower lip.

“I’m not an expert on dating as a single parent and Arthur knew Zayn before I did, so our relationship isn’t the best example.” He tilted his head in thought, taking the topic as seriously as it needed to be, but keeping his expression soft. “Although I think the kids blame him for not being able to see you as often as they would like, I honestly believe they want to meet him. Gavin said you’re happy.” Stacey sniffled and looked down at her hands, so Liam grabbed a tissue from the box on his desk and handed it to her. “Why don’t we get started on this interview and see if we can’t get you some steady hours, yeah?”

The interview went quickly and Liam was surprised at the wealth of Stacey’s experience. She’d held many jobs and had only lost them due to budget cuts, never her own performance. He was happy to offer her the position and she and Niall got together to discuss a training schedule which would start after the first of the year. It was just about lunchtime when Stacey came in to speak to him again.

“Liam, your lease is up on the flat soon, isn’t it?” 

He sighed deeply when he realized she was right. “End of January.” Although he’d been in the process of moving into his childhood home, he’d renewed his lease for a year, which had worked in everyone’s favour when it had allowed Liam to sublet the flat to Stacey and the kids. Now, however, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to continue doing it for a year. “I don’t-”

She held up a hand. “I don’t think I can afford to lease it at the actual cost.” She gave Liam a knowing look when he blushed, having hoped she’d not realized how much he’d discounted the rent for her. “I’ve been looking at other flats. I found one, but I might need an advance for first and last month’s rent and security deposit.”

“We’ll see what we can do, yeah?” he told her, knowing he’d figure something out for her, and if he couldn’t, Zayn would.

“Thank you, Liam.” She began tearing up again as she pulled him into a hug. “I honestly don’t know how the kids and I would’ve gotten through the last year without you and Zayn and Arthur.”

“Hush,” he whispered, looking up when the door opened to reveal a confused Zayn and Arthur carrying bags. “You’re family.”

“Auntie Stacey,” Arthur chimed up, amazing Liam again with his intuitiveness. “Why are you hugging Papa? He likes men.”

Zayn snorted out a laugh as Liam and Stacey stepped away from each other. “Your papa just hired me as his new assistant,” she told Arthur.

“Where’s Uncle Niall going?” Arthur asked, his lower lip trembling as Niall appeared behind him, eyes wide.

“Everyone come in and have lunch. We brought plenty!” Zayn announced loudly, holding up his arms to reveal several brown paper bags that smelled very much like the curry place not far from the office building. It was enough to distract Arthur from his upset and allow Niall to explain things.

While Niall and Arthur talked, the other three played catch up, focusing on everything going on with Stacey. Zayn looked thoughtful as they discussed flats and the running rental costs near the coffee shop and the publishing company since Stacey had said she’d like to remain part-time at the coffee shop for a little while. Zayn repeated Liam’s thoughts from earlier that they would figure something out between the three of them.

After they’d cleaned up lunch, Niall went back out to his desk and Arthur reached into his rucksack and pulled out two items, one was wrapped in bubble wrap and packing tape and the other in the same wrapping paper as the viewfinders from the day before. “What’s this?” he asked his son as the boy began gently removing the bubble wrap.

“It’s the mug for Santa Day,” Arthur explained, handing it to Liam once it was completely unwrapped. “Zayn used the picture of us I gave him for Christmas last year.” 

Zayn had asked Liam if he thought Arthur would be alright with him using the drawing and Liam had said yes. He could tell by the smile on his son’s face that he’d been right. “This turned out really sick. Everyone at Santa Day is going to love it. Maybe they might even ask for your autograph!”

Arthur shook his head. “No! They can’t know I know Santa personally! They might figure out it’s Zayn and that can’t happen! It’s a secret, Papa! Family only!”

Zayn grinned as Liam pulled Arthur into a hug, ignoring Stacey trying to subtly snap a photo of the three of them. “That’s right. Family only. Now, what’s this other box?”

“Secret Santa strikes again,” Zayn told him. “We stopped by the shop to let Arthur show Harry the mug and it was underneath the tree.”

“We brought it with us because it’s addressed to both of you!” Arthur told him, placing the gift between Liam and Zayn on the sofa.

“Why don’t you do the honours since I opened yesterdays,” Zayn told him.

The box was small and the wrapped with coloured comics again, so it must be from the same person. Liam picked at the paper carefully, chuckling at Zayn and Arthur’s annoyed huffs, slowing down even more just to be contrary even though he was curious about the contents. Once the paper was removed, it revealed another plain brown box, and when the tabs were opened, a slip of paper was on top. ‘

Liam unfolded it to reveal another of the Love is...comics. This one had the little naked couple hugging and said, “Love is….getting constant cuddles.” He passed it to Zayn who looked at it with a smile before handing it to Arthur and leaning into Liam’s side. 

Liam dug into the tissue paper inside the box and pulled out a small dark brown bear figurine with a red and white sweater on, it was standing at a weird angle and had its arms held out. There were also a few holes in the Santa hat on his head. Handing it over to Zayn, Liam kept digging before pulling out a lighter brown bear wearing a set of earmuffs and a scarf. This bear was standing in a similar position and also had holes in its head.

“Constant cuddles,” Zayn muttered and held the bear in his hand out, smiling when Liam moved his so the two bears were hugging. “Salt and pepper shakers.”

“Where will you keep them?” Arthur asked.

“I’ll keep mine at my flat and your papa can keep his at your house,” Zayn said after thinking for a moment.

“That’s not constant cuddles,” Stacey pointed out when Arthur pouted. “That’s not even cuddling at all.”

“You can keep them, so it doesn’t upset Arthur,” Zayn offered, looking a bit sad at the idea of giving up his cuddling bear.

Suddenly, Liam had one of those moments were he was glad he wasn’t in a comic so he wouldn’t have to explain the light bulb over his head. “Move in with us. You and the bear. Move into the house with Arthur and I. And our bear.” He danced the salt shaker in the air for a moment.

Zayn nearly dropped the bear when Liam’s words sank in. He blinked back and saw the sparkle in Liam’s eyes that meant he was up to something and he suddenly knew what he was thinking. Looking over at Stacey and then Arthur who was nodding eagerly, he finally looked back to Liam. “Alright,” he said, smiling against Liam’s lips when he leaned in for a kiss; the both of them ignoring the cheering coming from the other two in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://66.media.tumblr.com/1c428e1bec79844b227c4f73c28d2281/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo2_250.gif) |   
> ---|---  
> ([image link](https://66.media.tumblr.com/1c428e1bec79844b227c4f73c28d2281/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo2_250.gif)) | ([image link](https://ultraimg.com/images/2018/12/20/Pytr.gif))


	4. Friday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! It's the weekend and we're almost to Christmas!!!!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left me feedback, either on here or tumblr or other formats; you have no idea how much it has helped.
> 
> I am still working on Sunday's chapter (it's a long one), but I'm off work until Christmas Day, so I've got plenty of time to finish this story!
> 
> Have a great weekend, friends!
> 
> xx-Joey

Zayn jerked awake when a small body landed on him. Shooting up in bed he looked down at a giggling Arthur, both hands over his mouth and eyes sparkling. His blonde hair was a mess of curls atop his head and his pajamas were covered with something white and powdery. “What are you up to?” he asked, reaching out to tickle Arthur, laughing as the boy squealed and backed away for him only to do a backward somersault off the bed and landing with a crash.

Zayn froze, holding his breath until Arthur started screaming. The sound sent Zayn into motion and he jumped to his feet and around the foot of the bed just as Liam ran into the room, an apron over his pajamas and a spatula in one hand. “What happened?” 

“I fell!” Arthur cried from the floor, holding his elbow. His screams turned to whimpers, but his face was still twisted in pain. 

Zayn dropped next to him and took his wrist gently, moving his arm and relaxing slightly when Arthur didn’t scream louder and instead looked at Zayn with interest, cheeks wet with tears. “I don’t think it’s broken,” he told Liam who was still standing frozen, his own eyes shiny. Looking at Arthur, he leaned over and brushed his lips over the elbow. “Better?”

Arthur nodded and then allowed Zayn to help him to his feet before he ran to his father, who dropped the spatula and lifted him off his feet, holding him tight against him. He looked over his son’s shoulder at Zayn, his eyes still a bit wild. After a moment, he held out the arm not supporting Arthur and gestured for Zayn to join the hug.

“I’m sorry,” Zayn whispered into Liam’s shoulder, but he just shook his head in response.

“Accidents happen. When Arthur was a year old, he rolled off the changing table at the mall because I turned my back for a second. Thankfully, my dad was there and caught him. I thought for sure he was going to yell at me, but then he told me that once when he’d been trying to teach my sister to ride a bike, he let go too soon and she’d fallen and broken her arm. As a parent, accidents happen.”

Just as he finished speaking, the smoke alarm in the kitchen started beeping and the smell of smoke reached their noses. “The pancakes!” Arthur screamed and started to run out, but Zayn held him back as Liam ran out of the room. 

Zayn could hear Liam cursing and the sound of something crashing into the sink before the alarm cut off with another curse. “All clear!” Liam called from down the hall.

Arthur led the way down the hall to find a dejected looking Liam sitting at the kitchen table, his hands in front of him. “Papa!” Arthur shouted. “You burnt yourself!”

Sure enough, Zayn could see that there was an angry red mark on Liam’s left palm. “Get up!” he shouted, dragging Liam over to the sink and sticking his hand under the cold water, hoping it wasn’t already too late to stop the burn. After a few minutes when a chill went through Liam’s body, he turned off the water and looked over the injury, relieved when it looked less inflamed.

“Arthur, you know the spiky looking plant I gave your papa for his birthday?” Zayn said. The boy nodded, looking confused. “Can you go break off one of the spikes and bring it to me? Put your hand underneath it in case it tries to drip.”

“Drip?” Arthur asked, but was already disappearing from the room.

Liam watched his son go as he watched Zayn look over his hand. He was feeling incredibly stupid for letting the pancakes burn, but he knew his concern over Arthur was a good enough reason. He felt even worse for having burnt his hand trying to rescue the ring he’d just put into the batter when he’d run from the room. The ring was now lying at the bottom of the sink and he was crossing his fingers it wouldn’t go down the drain and that the heat hadn’t damaged it too much.

Just then Arthur returned walking carefully with one spike of the aloe plant that he kept in his room in one hand, the other cupped beneath it. Zayn took the plant and rubbed the cut end over the burn and Liam felt the cooling of the gel. While he was doing that, he directed Arthur to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit.

A half-hour later, the three of them were seated at a table inside the local diner, Arthur fussing over his papa’s hand and the soft dressing wrapped around it. Liam had been quiet and Zayn was worried he was hurting more than he’d let on, so after Liam had taken a few bites of pancakes, he passed a couple paracetamol over for him to swallow. “I’m alright,” he told him. “Do you have to go into the shop today?”

Zayn knew he was trying to avoid talking about whatever was bothering him, but he allowed it, hoping that he’d tell him what was bothering him when he was ready. “I don’t have to, but I was thinking that maybe I’d go to the flat and start packing.” They’d talked about it the night before and Zayn had been right that Liam was thinking he should offer his flat above the coffee shop to Stacey and her kids, which meant Zayn had to be packed and out before the end of January. Thankfully, he really didn’t have much in the way of possessions, so it wouldn’t take him long.

“I can help,” Arthur offered. “Papa can supervise.” 

A smile finally broke across Liam’s face at that and Zayn felt the tension in his back begin to bleed out. “That sounds like a great plan,” he told Arthur and reached across the table to squeeze Liam’s uninjured hand.

They were all laughing when they entered the shop, waving to Harry who was wiping down a table talking to the man who occupied it. “Louis!” Zayn greeted his friend and pseudo-boss at the Memory Care Center he taught art and reading lessons at. He was also Harry’s boyfriend, even if after over a year neither one of those two idiots would admit anything.

Glancing around the shop, he didn’t see a need to tell Harry to get back to work seeing as there were surprisingly few customers. His attention as drawn to a well-dressed man and little girl standing next to the Christmas tree, looking at each other with lost expressions on their faces. Excusing himself from Liam and Arthur, he crossed the shop with a smile on his face. “Hello. Is there something I can help you with?” 

“Do you just leave the gifts?” the little girl asked, holding up a package wrapped in Santa Claus paper.

“Is it for someone in particular or anyone who needs it?” Zayn asked.

“It’s for Gwen,” she said.

Zayn was surprised. A lot of the regular customers were known to leave gifts for the kids; they were adopted by most of the regulars, but Zayn didn’t recognize this man. “Gwen? Little blonde girl?”

The girl shrugged while the man looked embarrassed. “I don’t really know. She has a brother named Gavin. This one is for him.” He indicated the present in his hands. Zayn looked suspicious. “I’ve never met the kids, but I know their mum.” 

A smile grew on Liam’s face as his thoughts began to clear. “Lucas?” he chanced, chuckling when the man paled and nodded. “I’m Zayn. I own this place. Stacey’s a good friend.”

“Zayn!” he breathed out in relief. “Stacey talks about you and Liam and Arthur all the time. I feel like I already know you.” They shook hands as the little girl looked on. “This is my daughter, Kelly.”

“Very nice to meet you, Miss Kelly,” Zayn said, shaking her hand as Arthur walked up and said, “Hi!” and took the present from Lucas and pulled Kelly closer to the tree.

Lucas was watching the kids while Zayn watched him. His expression was fond as Kelly began talking to Arthur, hands waving in the air as the boy listened intently. “Don’t tell Stacey we did this,” he finally said, shooting a quick look at Zayn. “She’d mentioned a couple of gifts the kids had asked for, but she couldn’t afford. I know it looks like I’m trying to buy her or something but it’s not that.”

“It's not? Even a little?” Zayn teased.

“Okay, maybe a little,” he agreed, looking embarrassed. “After Kelly’s mum died, people helped me out; I feel like I’m paying it forward.” He sighed. “I never thought I’d meet someone again.” He wiped at his eyes. “Sorry, you don’t want to hear all this. I’m nobody to you.”

“Hey,” Zayn said, laying a hand on his arm. “If you’re someone to Stacey, you’re someone to me. Just be sure you don’t hurt her or they’ll never find your body.” Zayn was smiling through the threat, but he meant what he said.

“Shovel talk received,” Lucas responded, raising his hands in surrender. He called Kelly over. “We have to get going. You’ll make sure the kid will get the gifts without letting Stacey know where they came from, yeah?”

“Secret’s safe, mate,” Zayn assured. “Now that you’ve found the place, don’t be a stranger,” he called out as Lucas and Kelly reached the door.

“I like her,” Arthur declared before he walked over to Harry and began talking animatedly to him. He pointed to the tree a couple of times and then Arthur moved back to the tree.

Zayn moved to sit next to Liam on the sofa, picking up his hand to check the bandage. Pressing a kiss over the wrapping, he leaned into his side. They watched Arthur dig under the tree for a moment before reappearing with a shout.

“Papa! Z!” He hurried over to them, his hand lifted over his head holding a package in the now familiar paper.

“Your turn,” Liam told him, waving his bandaged hand, so Zayn opened it. The comic this time had the young couple washing dishes together and stated, “Love is...sharing everything.” 

“Cute,” Zayn said, showing the comic to Liam who smiled before Arthur snatched it away and settled at a table opening his sketchbook which he’d been carrying with him almost constantly recently.

“What’s the gift? New sponges to wash dishes?” Liam joked.

“Box is a bit small for that,” Zayn told him as he pulled back the cotton batting that had been beneath the comic. He let out a soft gasp as two silver rectangular pendants were revealed nestled together.

“What? Oh, wow,” Liam breathed out.

Each pendant held half of a heart so that when they were pushed together, they made a complete heart. One half was black and the other was gold. Lifting out the black one, he held it up to the light. Harry appeared at their side and took the box, nodding towards Liam. Zayn gestured for Liam to turn around and fastened the chain of the necklace around his neck.

Liam laid his hand over the pendant and turned around to give a soft smile to Zayn. He wasn’t normally one for jewelry, but he could see himself wearing this always, feeling the cool metal against his chest reminding him that Zayn owned half of his heart. Harry held the gold half out to him and he reached for it, frowning when he couldn’t grasp it because of the bandage.

“Guess I’m just half a heart without you,” he joked, trying to keep his voice light, but failing.

“I have an idea,” Zayn said before calling Arthur over. 

Kneeling down, he whispered to the boy who nodded and took the necklace from Harry. He unclasped it and held one end in each hand. Zayn reached for Liam’s uninjured hand and guided it to the end of the chain without the hook. Smiling, Liam understood what he was doing, so he and Arthur moved the chain around Zayn’s neck and Liam held still while Arthur closed the clasp.

When he was done, Arthur pressed a kiss to Zayn’s cheek and returned to the table and his drawing. Zayn stood, laughing when Liam leaned in to press a kiss to the cheek his son hadn’t kissed. “I don’t know who our Secret Santa is, but I’m beginning to feel a bit spoiled.”

Zayn had his suspicions who the person was, but he had a feeling the person wasn’t acting alone based on the increasing value of the gifts being given. Until he was sure, he would keep his mouth shut, enjoying the gifts as they came. “If they ever reveal themselves, they are going to get a heck of a thank you note,” he told Liam, smiling when Arthur muttered in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://66.media.tumblr.com/7ddea6d090f4c27c5f7692250857d81e/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo7_250.gif)  
> ([image link](https://66.media.tumblr.com/7ddea6d090f4c27c5f7692250857d81e/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo7_250.gif))  
> [Here is a link to the necklaces.](https://www.gullei.com/half-hearts-relationship-necklaces-couples-set-of-two.html) The photo was watermarked, so I didn't want to share them here, but they are really cool (and reasonably priced).


	5. Saturday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone had a great Saturday! Today's chapter is the shortest one I've had so far this year, but tomorrow's will be the longest, so it evens out.
> 
> Yes, I do have tomorrow's chapter written, but that's as far ahead as I am right now. I've hit a bit of writer's block, but I will work through it and will post on time.
> 
> See you tomorrow!
> 
> xx-Joey

Sleeping late was one of Zayn’s favourite things to do, but one day a year he would wake up before his alarm with a smile on his face. That morning was no different than any other year as he pushed himself out of bed, smiling at the Santa suit hanging off the back of his closet door. Santa Day had been one of his favourite days since he’d started it the first year he’d opened the shop. 

Making his way through his flat, he sidestepped the boxes that he and Liam had started packing the night before. He’d chosen to stay in his own flat while Liam and Arthur returned to their house so that he could start getting the coffee shop ready as early as possible. Arthur would be showing up later with Liam’s parents; Santa Day had been a tradition for the three of them for years, although Karen had missed the last few due to her dementia. Arthur was so excited his Nana was going to be able to join them this year; she’d been doing so well with her new medication, the good days outweighing the bad.

Liam was planning to do some last minute Christmas shopping and then the three of them would be having a quick meal before heading to the food pantry to help assemble food baskets. It was going to be a long day, but nothing could dampen Zayn’s excitement. He made himself a bowl of cereal while the coffee brewed. Then he hopped down the stairs in his pajamas to check that everything was ready for the kids.

The morning went quickly and before he knew it, Zayn was dressed in the suit and getting ready to head downstairs. As he moved carefully, getting himself used to the added girth of the fat suit, he was surprised to find Arthur sitting on the bottom step, his head bowed and custom made elf hat clutched in his hands. Without hesitation, Zayn dropped down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Alright?” Arthur shook his head. “What’s wrong”

“Nana thought I was Papa,” he whispered and Zayn’s stomach twisted; the one day Karen needed to have a good day and it didn’t happen. He knew that Arthur didn’t blame his Nana, but he could still tell the boy was disappointed. “Grandpapa said she couldn’t come today and Papa offered to stay with her so Grandpapa could still come, but she didn’t recognize him.” He wiped at his eyes and Zayn felt his own eyes growing damp; it wasn’t the first time Karen hadn’t recognized Liam, but he knew how much it gutted the man he hated seeing hurt. “So, Papa brought me.”

“Where is he?” Zayn was sure if Liam couldn’t locate Arthur, he’d be in a panic.

“He’s passing out mugs with Louis. Eowyn packed an extra uniform.” Harry and Louis were given jingle bell bestowed elf hats and red shirts with “Santa’s Helper” in green writing. Arthur’s hat was the same, but his shirt was green with red writing that said, “Santa’s Little Helper”. 

“Bet he’s loving the hat,” Zayn teased, picturing Liam shaking his head to make the bells ring and bring smiles to people’s faces, even if he could barely bring one to his own.

Arthur finally looked up. “Don’t tell him you saw me crying, please. It would make him sad.”

Zayn never stopped being amazed by Arthur’s consideration of others, knowing he’d gotten that trait from his Papa. Squeezing him into his side, he kissed the top of Arthur’s head. “Promise I won’t tell. Do you want to stay here for a bit longer?” Arthur nodded, still looking miserable, but a bit less so than when Zayn had first sat down. “Want to tell Santa what you want for Christmas?” He nudged Arthur gently with his elbow.

Arthur smiled slightly. “I didn’t get what I asked you for last year, so that’s still top of my list, but maybe a puppy, too.”

Zayn remembered Arthur’s request from the year before: “I really want to see my Papa happy. I want him to get a husband.” He knew he’d not managed to become Liam’s husband, but he hoped the ring he had hidden in his sock drawer would change that if he could find the perfect time to propose. “A puppy, huh? Well, Santa will have to talk to your Papa about that.”

“Thanks, Santa,” Arthur told him. “I’m really glad my Papa and I found you.”

“Me, too, kid. Me, too.”

***

Santa Day flew by quickly and once the line of kids wanting to talk to Santa had dwindled down to nothing, Zayn headed upstairs to his flat. Arthur had come out to help about a half-hour after he’d started and helped pass out the candy canes to the children while Liam took pictures. The mugs had been a big hit and he’d watched Arthur’s face beam whenever someone commented on the drawing. He wondered if maybe he should sponsor a contest each year for a child to design the mug for the upcoming year. He’d see what Arthur thought about the idea later.

At one point, Stacey had pulled Zayn to the side to ask about the gifts left for her kids under the tree, but Zayn had kept his promise to Lucas and told Stacey he had no idea who left the gifts. He watched as Stacey questions Harry and Liam as well, but he stepped in before she could ask Arthur and told her that she should just appreciate that someone wanted to do something nice for her kids. She agreed and he watched her pull her phone out and start texting someone, a smile on her face.

Liam was happy to see his friend so happy. The last year when Stacey and the kids had come into his life, she was struggling so much - living in a homeless shelter, trusting her young children and their puppy alone during the long days while she worked one job and with a near stranger at the shelter at night while she worked a second job. Now, a year later, she had housing and was preparing to settle into one full-time job and had met someone who made her happy. He mentally crossed his fingers that her luck would continue, but after meeting Lucas, he had a good feeling.

Once Zayn was done showering and dressed, he checked his drawer and pulled out a small velvet box, popping it open to look at the silver ring. He’d originally thought about going with a simple silver band since Liam wasn’t one to wear a lot of rings, but this ring had caught his attention. The crossed bars of silver created an infinity symbol that stretched around the curve of the ring. There had been a point where Zayn believed forever love wasn’t an option for him, but then Liam and his son had stepped into his life. 

After closing the small box and replacing it in the drawer, he pulled out the box hidden next to it. Inside was a chunky silver bracelet made up of infinity symbols. After all, he wasn’t just proposing to Liam. He heard feet pounding up the stairs, Liam yelling after Arthur to slow down. For a moment, Zayn thought about greeting them at the door with the two boxes and just popping the question right then, but the moment still didn’t feel perfect.

Arthur beat a pattern on the door before Zayn heard Liam’s keys in the lock. The boy’s mood had improved considerably from earlier. He’d practically done a complete turn around when Geoff and Karen had stopped by long enough to share a hot chocolate with him. Although Karen had still been off, she was aware enough to recognize Arthur and Liam and feel guilty for having nearly spoiled Santa Day for her grandson.

Stepping into the living area of the flat, he found Arthur bouncing on the sofa while Liam had his head in the refrigerator, a stack of sandwich fixings already started on the counter. He turned around when Zayn cleared his throat, smiling wide. “I thought we could just eat here to help clear out your refrigerator,” Liam explained, shrugging his shoulders.

“What’s with the ants in the pants?” Zayn asked, stepping over the sofa and tickling the boy’s sides.

Arthur waved a small flat package at him, obviously another gift from their Secret Santa, his giggles drowning out anything he might try to say.

“It’s Papa’s turn to open it,” Zayn told him, sitting next to Arthur as Liam brought over the sandwiches, setting them on the coffee table before dropping onto the sofa with a sigh.

Liam’s body language screamed exhaustion as he melted into the sofa, head dropping onto the back of it. “Why don’t you open it for me, son?” he suggested, turning his head to look at Zayn with a tired smile.

Arthur looked at Liam before turning a concerned look to Zayn. With a nod from the man, Arthur carefully removed the wrapping paper, but he kept glancing over at Liam who was blinking sleepily. Inside was an envelope which Arthur opened, pulling out a small slip of paper. That day’s comic showed the couple riding a toboggan, smiles on their faces. “Love is...acting like a couple of kids together,” Arthur read out carefully.

After showing the comic to both Zayn and Liam, he handed the envelope to Liam and moved away to Zayn’s desk, snatching the sketchbook Zayn kept at his flat for him. Shaking his head, Liam peeked in the envelope, eyes widening. “What?” Zayn asked.

“It’s three train tickets to Watford Junction,” he explained.

“Isn’t that the station by-”

“The Making of Harry Potter Tour,” Liam finished. “There are tickets for the 9:30 a.m. tour tomorrow. Zayn, this is so expensive. I’m starting to feel guilty.”

Zayn understood what Liam meant, he was feeling the same way. He’d begun suspecting that Arthur was behind the gifts, but there was no way he could afford something like this. His mind went to Liam’s parents and he could see them helping out and they would want them to enjoy the day together, but he still felt guilty knowing they’d never be able to make it up to the older couple. On the off chance, the Secret Santa was someone else entirely, Zayn couldn’t even begin to understand what they had done to deserve the shower of gifts.

“Papa, you and Z do so much for people, let people do for you,” Arthur said, head bent over the sketchbook.

“He has a point,” Zayn told him. “Speaking of doing for others, we need to get moving. The soup kitchen is expecting us and we’re going to want to get a lot of sleep; sounds like we have a big day tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://66.media.tumblr.com/3d9fa58b948808e13b05b723a7c8b256/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo5_250.gif)  
> ([image link](https://66.media.tumblr.com/3d9fa58b948808e13b05b723a7c8b256/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo5_250.gif))


	6. Sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm working on tomorrow's chapter today and hope to get the final chapter written tomorrow while I'm at my mum's celebrating the holiday with my kids. Just to warn you, I do work Christmas Day, so that chapter will be posted around the same time as all of these have been.
> 
> Cross your fingers and wish me luck!
> 
> xx-Joey
> 
> P.S. Big thanks to Orange_Coyote for pointing out my error yesterday! I woke up for a potty break at one a.m. and saw your message and immediately got online to fix it. LOL. Barely got back to sleep before it was time to get up again! :D

Arthur woke Liam and Zayn up by jumping up and down on the bed, screaming random Harry Potter spells at the top of his lungs. Liam grumbled and buried his head beneath his pillow while Zayn just pretended to stay asleep. After a few more minutes, Arthur stopped shouting and disappeared from the bed. Zayn peeked open an eye and glanced over at Liam who was looking at him from underneath the pillow. 

Although the plan had been to go to bed early, they had stayed up after Arthur had fallen asleep talking about a million different things that probably could have waited, but didn’t. The first topic had been a dog for Arthur and Zayn had been surprised that Liam had been planning to visit a shelter the day before while Arthur had been at Santa day, but the plan had fallen through, so they’d made arrangements for Arthur and Zayn to have breakfast on the morning of Christmas Eve while Liam went to the shelter and their neighbor would watch the puppy until after Arthur went to bed that night.

Next, they’d discussed the gifts and Zayn had shared his suspicions about Arthur and the Paynes. Liam had said he shared Zayn’s suspicions because he’d spotted one of the comics framed on his parents’ wall when he’d gone to drop Arthur off. It had reminded him that his mum had a scrapbook full of the comics, but he hadn’t seen it since before they’d moved her into memory care. 

They’d finally fallen asleep well after midnight and the alarms started going off at six-thirty just seemed to come way too soon. Sliding across the bed on his stomach, Liam hooked an arm around Zayn’s waist and pulled him close and nuzzling into his neck, making Zayn laugh. “Where do you think Arthur went?” Zayn asked, suspecting the boy would not have given up on them waking up that easily.

Liam opened his mouth to respond when the sound of pot lids banging together sounded through the house. Looking towards the door, they spotted Arthur banging the lids together as he marched towards the bed. Once he was a few steps away, he dropped the lids and pulled out two spray bottles that Liam used to water his plants from beneath his arms and began spraying them with cold water.

The sounds they made as they jumped out of the bed made Arthur giggle before he ran from the room. The two men gave chase into the living room until they were at a standoff, Liam and Zayn each at one end of the sofa and Arthur standing on the cushions in the center, a spray bottle trained on each man. 

“We only have a couple hours to get ready and to the station,” Liam said to Arthur, inching closer as Zayn did the same on the other side.

“That’s why you had to get up!” Arthur argued.

“Why don’t you hand over the weapons?” Zayn asked, reaching out for one of the bottles and getting a spritz to the face for his efforts. “Hey!”

A knock on the door distracted Arthur enough that Liam was able to grab the bottles while Zayn grabbed Arthur around the waist and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Liam went to answer the door, setting the bottles on top of the mantle as he went. Zayn tickled Arthur until the boy was laughing and calling out for mercy. Liam returned to find them both collapsed on the sofa, gasping for breath.

“Who was at the door?” Zayn asked, sitting up when Liam didn’t answer and looked stunned. “What’s wrong?”

Liam shook his head. “No one was there. I’m just hoping that we really do know our Secret Santa because they know where we live.” Liam held up a large box and taped to the top was a large, flat package wrapped in the usual paper.

Zayn took the wrapped package and peeled back the paper to reveal a spiral bound book. Flipping it over, he discovered it was a calendar, but the front cover was one of the comics. “Love is...being his calendar girl for every month of the year.” Liam snorted and Arthur looked over Zayn’s arm to take it in.

Opening the calendar, he smiled at the photo for the month of January. It was Liam and Zayn at the coffee shop one of the days Harry had missed work because he’d come down with the flu. Liam looked a mess as he was being sprayed in the face with contents of a blender while Zayn stood in the background laughing. Liam shook his head as he looked at the picture. “By the end of that day, I’d thought for sure you’d never want to see me again. I’m a terrible barista.” His voice was a little sad despite the chuckle he gave.

“Are you kidding?” Zayn asked. “You stepped outside of your comfort zone to help me out in a pinch. If anything, I knew for sure I loved you by the end of that day.”

“Really?” Liam asked, blushing when Zayn nodded.

“Flip the page!” Arthur said, moving to stand between them and trying to grab the calendar away.

February’s picture was from Valentine’s Day. They’d planned a romantic dinner just the two of them. Arthur was going to spend the night with Liam’s parents but had woken up with a terrible fever. He’d been diagnosed with strep throat, so Liam had called to cancel with Zayn, feeling terribly guilty and worried Zayn would be upset. Instead, Zayn had shown up and cooked dinner for the three of them and rented kid-friendly movies.

After Arthur had been tucked into bed, Zayn had given Liam an intense back rub and just before he’d fallen asleep under Zayn’s ministrations, he’d breathed out, “I love you,” for the first time.  His eyes had flown open in fear of having said it, but Zayn had just leaned over and kissed Liam’s shoulder and said it right back. Being the romantic one he was, Zayn insisted on taking a selfie of the two of them to commemorate the moment. So, the photo for February was the two of them cheeks pressed together and one hand held up to form half a heart. Liam smiled and played with the necklace around his neck as he thought about that night.

“Still love you just as much,” Zayn whispered.

“Love you more,” Liam teased, leaning in to press their lips gently together.

“Next!” Arthur shouted, yanking the calendar away and disrupting the tender moment. He dropped onto the sofa and flipped to March, his face turning serious as he let out a soft, “Oh, yeah.”

“What?” Zayn asked, snatching the calendar and having a similar reaction when he saw that month’s image.

It wasn’t a photo, but a drawing. Zayn brushed at his eyes as he looked at the familiar lines he’d drawn himself the previous Mother’s Day. He’d started out drawing a picture for Karen as a gift, a picture of Liam standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist as she looked up at him in the adoring way she did. After he was done with Karen’s drawing, he’d felt a pang in his heart and began a second drawing.

The second was of Zayn himself, a somewhat sad expression on his face. Behind him, looking over his shoulder, a small hand resting on his shoulder was his own mother as he remembered her. When he’d shown the drawing to Liam, he had said he wished he had something like that for Arthur, but all the photos of his family had been lost in the fire.

The next day, Zayn had headed to the library, crossing his fingers that Arthur’s family had done like his family had and posted announcements in the papers. After searching, he found not only a birth announcement with a photo of newborn Arthur but an engagement announcement featuring a photo of his parents from two years before his birth. Zayn had paid for quality copies of both articles and used the photo of Arthur’s and his mum similar to the one of Zayn and his own.

The drawings were framed and hanging up individually at Karen’s, Zayn’s and Arthur’s. Someone had scanned all three and manipulated them into one image to use for the month of March, the month of Mother’s Day and Zayn couldn’t hold back the tears as he dropped down to sit next to Arthur on the sofa. Liam, who was still looking confused, dropped down on his son’s other side and reached for the calendar. He sniffled when he saw the drawing and wrapped his arms around the other two, all of them quiet except for sniffling as they embraced.

Liam tried to find words, clearing his throat a few times and finally beginning to speak when his phone went off. “We have to go!” he shouted, melancholy instantly replaced by panic. “We’ve got a train to catch.” Arthur scurried to his feet. “Put the calendar in your rucksack, we can finish looking at it on the train.” Arthur did as Liam said while Zayn headed towards the kitchen, nearly tripping on the box Liam had brought in.

“What’s in the box?” 

Liam shrugged, he hadn’t thought about it again since they’d opened the calendar. Zayn knelt next to it as Liam started towards the kitchen. “I’ll try to get something quick to eat on the way.”

Zayn pulled open the flaps and laughed. “No need for that. Our Secret Santa has provided,” he said, reaching in and lifting out travel cups with snowflakes decorating them. Each one had a name on it in fancy, familiar, handwriting. “Eowyn,” Zayn whispered. “I know she does the calendars and she has these cups in stock right now.”

“At least I don’t have to worry about a stranger knowing where we live,” Liam said, reaching in as well and pulling out a pastry box decorated with a large heart with a Z, an L, and an A written inside. Opening it up, he smiled at the variety of donuts, scones, and cookies. “Harry,” he said and Zayn nodded.

Arthur grabbed a donut before picking up the cup with his name on it. He slid open the sipper and took a hesitant sip. “Hot chocolate.”

Zayn and Liam each took a sip from their cups, finding their favourite warm drinks inside. “Our friends know us well,” Zayn said.

“Well enough to know we’d be running late,” Liam pointed out as the alarm on his phone went off again. 

They hurried into their outdoor wear, grabbing their cups and a couple pastries before hurrying to Liam’s car to take them to the train station. Thankfully, traffic was lighter than expected for two days before Christmas and they reached the station with time to spare. Still moving quickly, they joined hands to form a chain with Arthur in the center and made their way to their Platform and onto the train without too much trouble.

As soon as they were settled, Arthur pulled the calendar out and flipped to April, giggling as he showed the picture to Liam and Zayn. Easter wasn’t a big holiday for either of them, but Zayn still hosted an egg hunt at the shop every year. The previous year, he’d managed to convince Liam to dress up as the Easter Bunny for the kids, a first for the shop, and he’d gone along with it. 

Unfortunately, it had been unseasonably warm and the shop even warmer than the air outside. After an hour of having kids climbing in his lap, Liam had overheated. He grew dizzy inside the suit and nauseous on top of that. Thankfully, it had been Gwen on his lap when he suddenly had to stand up because instead of getting upset for being pushed off, she’d immediately ran to get Zayn from the kitchen.

Zayn had his phone ready to call for emergency services when he burst into the storeroom to find Liam on his knees, the bunny head was thrown against the wall, suit pulled off to his waist revealing a soaked-through white vest. His face had paled to the colour of his shirt and he was holding onto his stomach as he leaned over the mop bucket, dry-heaving.

Zayn had hurried to his side, rubbing his back until Liam’s stomach stopped convulsing. He’d helped him lay down on the floor, pulling off the bunny feet and the bottom of the suit leaving Liam in his pants on the concrete floor, which was at least a bit cooler than the air. Harry came in with a bucket of ice water and some towels and worked with Zayn to cool Liam down.

Eventually, Liam had recovered and the kids who had been waiting to see the Easter Bunny had left with a bag of free cookies which pacified most of them. Once the shop was emptied except for Stacey and her kids and the employees, Zayn had helped Liam up to the flat where he had promptly passed out on the sofa. Zayn had gone into the kitchen to prepare something light for Liam to eat when he woke up and when he’d come out to check on Liam, he found Harry and Arthur leaning over him and giggling. 

The photo was of a passed out Liam in his pants and vest. On his face was drawn a bunny nose, whiskers, and teeth. Liam made an outraged sound and Zayn realized he didn’t know there was photographic proof of the event. He tried to keep his face serious, but the redder Liam’s face grew in embarrassment, the harder it was not to laugh. Eventually, even Liam cracked a smile even though he tried to pretend he was upset.

“Alright, next!” Liam stated, taking the calendar from Arthur and flipping to May. “Roo’s wedding,” he said, passing the calendar to Zayn. 

The wedding had been a simple one in the backyard of Liam’s childhood home. As the night had worn on, Arthur had passed out in his cake, so Liam had carried him upstairs, Zayn followed carrying the boy’s shoes and jacket. After they’d gotten him tucked in, they’d stopped in the hallway, Liam pressing Zayn up against the wall, sharing a tender kiss. They’d jumped apart at the sound of a camera shutter, spotting Nicola, Liam’s oldest sister, smiling at them and waving her phone in their direction. They had given chase, trying to steal the phone away, but had ended up losing out when Karen fussed at them for acting like children.

“Are you two ever not completely embarrassing?” Arthur asked, stealing the calendar back again.

“He thinks we’re embarrassing?” Zayn asked Liam, who nodded, laughing.

“I don’t think he has any idea how embarrassing we can be,” Liam taunted.

“I’m in this one!” Arthur nearly shouted, forcing their attention away from any evil plans they could come up with.

They leaned in to look at the photo showing the three of them in front of a tree, Zayn and Liam squatting down to be closer to Arthur’s height. In the boy’s hands was a certificate he’d won in an art contest at the school, a blue ribbon hanging off of it. Originally, Zayn had been snapping the picture of just Liam and Arthur, but then one of the other parents had come up and offered to take the picture so he could get in with his family.

Zayn had hesitated, but Liam had called out, “C’mon, babe,” and Arthur followed up with, “Dad!” and a giggle. It had been the only time Arthur had called him that and he wondered if he would ever hear it again. He’d tried to figure out the right way to ask, but the words had never come to him.

“When you move in with us, does that make you my dad?” Arthur asked suddenly.

“Er…” Zayn started, looking to Liam for help, unsure if saying yes would be welcome or not.

“Do you want him to be?” Liam asked, watching Zayn carefully. He remembered the way he’d felt the day the photo had been taken hearing Arthur call another man dad. He would’ve expected to feel jealous, but it had just felt right.

“No,” Arthur said and Liam froze, seeing Zayn’s eyes shine. “He doesn’t look like a dad,” he explained. “What did you call your papa, Z?”

Swallowing past the lump that had formed in his throat, choking on the memories that had been invoked. “Baba.” He cleared his throat. “I called him Baba.”

“Baba,” he repeated as Zayn nodded. Looking down at the calendar again, he tapped on Liam’s chest. “Papa.” Then he tapped Zayn’s. “Baba.” He nodded. “Papa and Baba. My Papa and my Baba. Yes.”

The tears began falling and Zayn didn’t even try to stop them, especially when he saw Liam crying as well. He wished he’d brought the ring and bracelet with him because this would have been the perfect moment to propose, but of course, he’d left them home and it didn’t feel right to ask without the items in hand. “Should we…” he trailed off as their stop was announced. Arthur put the calendar away.

Getting into the tour was easy thanks to already having their tickets on hand. Liam chuckled as he watched Arthur staring wide-eyed at the walls painted to look like the Marauder’s Map as they followed the tour. He had been excited about the tour because he was almost as big a fan of Harry Potter as Arthur and he as glad to see Zayn looking as giddy as his son was. Realizing this was something they would all enjoy, Liam relaxed and paid attention to everything going on around them.

Zayn chuckled when Arthur squealed over Buckbeak, nearly vibrating with excitement and he totally understood the desire to climb on the Hippogriff’s back and fly. He listened intently as Arthur told them how to properly approach a Hippogriff so you didn’t end up getting hurt as Draco Malfoy did. Seeing so many of the creatures come to life as amazing, at least until they came upon one in particular.

Liam and Arthur didn’t even bother trying to control their laughter when Zayn let out a very unmanly squeak when he came face to fang with Aragog. The creature was eighteen feet across and way too realistic up close. He stood behind Arthur, squeezing Liam’s hand tight as they learned about the giant spider. The more they learned, the less fearful Zayn became. By the time they moved on, Zayn wanted to get closer to look at all of the hairs that had been individually inserted into the creature with special needles. He also wanted to see how difficult it would have been to be one of the fifteen people who worked the spider while filming.

Liam was still chuckling at Zayn, glad to see him relax again, but keeping their hands clasped as they walked behind Arthur. After a couple of hours, they stopped to eat at the Backlot Cafe. As they ate, they enjoyed Butterbeer in souvenir mugs. After they finished, they split Butterbeer ice cream before finishing the tour. 

Before they could leave, they made sure to visit all of the gift shops, picking up some presents for friends, but mostly spoiling themselves. Arthur picked up an Aragog plushie for Zayn and had Liam hide it for Christmas. They each got clothing from their respective houses: Liam got Gryffindor, Zayn got Ravenclaw, and Arthur got Hufflepuff. 

“Can’t believe you want to be Hufflepuff,” Liam teased Arthur as he wrapped his Gryffindor scarf around his own neck.

“Hufflepuffs are loyal friends,” Arthur argued.

“Yeah, Liam. Besides, don’t you know the main three all had sub-houses and Ron’s was Hufflepuff? Hermione was Ravenclaw and Harry was Slytherin,” Zayn explained. 

“No way,” Liam argued. “You’re making stuff up again.”

“Nuh uh, Papa! Baba is a Ravenclaw; he knows everything!” Arthur told him as he picked up a Crookshanks plushie. “Do you think Gwen would like this?”

By the end of the day, Liam was carrying a nearly sleeping Arthur back to the train while Zayn juggled multiple bags of souvenirs behind them. They settled Arthur across a row of empty seats so that he could snooze. Before settling back himself, Liam pulled the calendar out of Arthur’s bag. “Do you want to continue looking?”

Zayn nodded as he covered a yawn and blinked sleepily. Although he felt like he was about to fall asleep at any moment, he had to admit he was curious what other photos were included. He leaned his head on Liam’s shoulder as he flipped the pages. “July,” he murmured as Liam flipped past June. His heart warmed again as he thought about how many times Arthur had called him Baba throughout the day, the term already seeming to roll off his tongue as easily as Papa.

Bright colours met their eyes as Liam finally found July. Liam and Zayn were standing with Harry and Louis in the middle of the crowd at the London Pride Parade. Zayn had been attending for years with Harry, but Liam had never been so that had made the entire day even more exciting for Zayn. This particular photo was framed and hanging in the coffee shop right next to the door and it never failed to bring a smile to his face.

“All of these photos are ones that only people we really know could have gotten ahold of, especially the mum drawings,” Liam observed. “How many Santas do you think there actually are?”

“I don’t know,” Zayn admitted. “I’m still in awe that anyone has gone to this much effort. I can’t even imagine what they have planned for the last two days.” 

Arthur stirred then; sitting up and stretching. He glanced around. “Are we home, yet?” he asked.

“Yep. We moved out of the house and onto a train,” Zayn teased.

“Baba, don’t be mean.” Arthur pouted. “Can I look at the pictures on your phone, Papa?”

Liam handed it over. “Don’t you want to keep looking at the calendar?”

Arthur looked down at the phone and back up at his father. “Later.” He became engrossed with the phone again, leaving Liam and Zayn to continue their own exploration.

August’s picture was a selfie of Liam, Zayn, and Arthur. It was generic enough that neither of them was sure when it was taken until Arthur spoke up. He’d moved to stand over them and once he had their attention, he crawled into Liam’s lap and handed back his phone. “That was the night we went to see that play in the park.”

Zayn chuckled. “That was the night you tried to steal the dog,” he told Liam.

“I did not!” Liam argued. “It wasn’t my fault the dog didn’t have any tags and tried to follow me home!”

Laughter burst out behind them and they turned and saw a group of teen girls staring at them, one of them covering her mouth. “Sorry,” her friend said.

“I didn’t try to steal a dog!” Liam told them, causing all of them to start laughing. Liam turned away with a pout while Arthur waved at the girls, earning more giggles.

Liam was glad the train stopped right then, his face burning with embarrassment. He shuffled off the train, knowing Zayn would make sure Arthur got off safely. He made his way through the crowds the best he could, heading towards the carpark when he heard someone shout his name. Looking around, he couldn’t spot who it was at first.

“Grandpapa!” he heard Arthur shot just as he pushed past Liam in the crowd.

“Arthur!” Zayn was shouting, pushing past Liam as well.

Liam shook his head and chased after them both, apologizing to everyone they pushed past until he reached an opening in the crowd where he found Arthur in Geoff’s arms while Zayn was doubled over and breathing hard next to them. “Dad!” 

“Hey, son,” Geoff greeted. “Arthur texted me to tell me you were on your way home, so I thought I might take this little monster off your hands for the night. Let you and Zayn have a bit of alone time before the holidays.” 

“You brat,” Liam teased. “That’s why you wanted my phone.” Arthur giggled. “You don’t have to do this-”

“Nonsense. I want to spend some time with my grandson and your mother wants to bake Christmas cookies and could use the help.”

“Bye, Papa. Bye, Baba,” Arthur said, giving them hugs and before Liam could come up with another argument, they were gone. He stood stunned until Zayn came to take his hand and started leading him towards the car.

They stopped for takeaway on their way back to the house, Liam still looking a little lost without Arthur. It wasn’t unusual for Arthur to spend the night at his grandparents, but usually, there was a bit more notice for Liam to get used to the idea. As soon as they were in the house, carryout bags in the kitchen and souvenir bags put up until they could sort out the excessive amount of items they’d purchased. 

Settling on the sofa with the food, they put in the Scarface DVD although they weren’t really watching as they continued talking about the day and Christmas. Liam kept going over the list of gifts he’d gotten for Arthur, feeling like there wasn’t enough. “Don’t forget that you are going to the shelter for the puppy tomorrow.”

“Do you want to come with me?” Liam asked. “I know you were going to take Arthur out for breakfast, but since he’s occupied…”

“I’d love to,” Zayn told him, reaching to pick up the calendar. “Do you wanna keep looking through this or wait until Arthur gets back?”

“We left off on September, yeah?” Liam said, flipping it open.

Taking turns, they flipped the pages until they reached where they’d left off. The photo was another selfie of the three of them, but it was angled enough and the lighting strange enough that they both recognized it. “The pillow fort,” Liam said. 

It had been one of the nights Zayn had stayed over and there had been a terrible rainstorm knocking out the power just as they’d been settling down to watch the newest Marvel movie. Arthur fear had grown the longer the power was off, so Zayn came up with the idea to distract him by building the pillow fort. 

Using torches, they’d gathered every spare blanket in the house, even pulling the ones off of the beds.  Working together, they built an elaborate fort that covered most of the living room. Next came the pillows that they gathered and finally they hung battery operated fairy lights along the inside to light it up so they could read books to Arthur. They had just finished building when the lights came on, the sound of the television jarring in the quiet that had been filling the house.

Arthur had wriggled out of the fort and, with a sigh, Liam started taking down the fairy lights, but then it got dark again and the television fell silent. Arthur had crawled back in and right into Liam’s lap, picking up the storybook next to them. “Where were we?” he had asked. As Liam read to Arthur, Zayn had taken the opportunity to lean in and snap a selfie of the three of them.

“We haven’t done that in a while,” Zayn said. “Maybe Arthur would want to do it tomorrow night.”

“Not Christmas Eve,” Liam told him, flipping the page. “He knows you’re too busy that night.”

“Think it’s time for me to tell him I’m retiring and handing the sleigh over to someone else,” Zayn told him. “Be easier than telling him there’s no Santa Claus.” 

Liam slapped a hand over his mouth. “You can’t say that!”

Zayn pulled Liam’s hand away from his mouth, tangling their fingers together before leaning in for a kiss. The kiss deepened and they made out for a few moments before Zayn pulled away to catch his breath, pressing a kiss to the rounded tip of Liam’s nose. “October,” he said.

Of course, the October picture was from the Halloween party at the coffee shop the year before. Zayn had thought about going as Batman, a costume he’d worn before, so Liam decided he was going to be Heath Ledger’s version of the Joker. Not wanting to be left out, Arthur announced that he was going to be Robin. The three of them had won the costume contest, despite Zayn repeatedly saying he shouldn't have been allowed to compete due to owning the store, but the people he’d chosen as judges could not be swayed to choose someone else.

When Zayn and finally given in and they had accepted the trophy, a photo had been taken and later published in the paper. It had been great publicity for the store and they’d cut out the photo, sticking it to the fridge in Liam’s house. Someone had gotten hold of the colour version of the photo to put in the calendar though and that made it mean even more to them.

Zayn yawned, the day finally catching up to them, so they flipped to November, laughing at the family photo from when Arthur had starred in the community children’s production of _The Wind in the Willows_ as Mr. Toad. Karen looked so delighted as she pressed a kiss to his green cheeks while Liam did the same to Zayn in the background. 

Turning to December, they shared a smile as they took in a photo from the previous Christmas. Although most of the pictures from the previous year had been taken in the hospital and at Liam’s parent’s home, the very room they were now sitting in, this one had been taken at the coffee shop. After they’d left Liam’s parents, they had gone back to the coffee shop to drop Zayn off at his flat and as they’d passed the tree, Arthur insisted they take a picture in front of the tree where their relationship had started. 

Using a timer, Zayn had stood his phone on one of the tables as he’d hurried to stand with Liam with Arthur. He hadn’t realized until after they’d printed the photo that, somehow, Arthur was holding the drawing Zayn had done of Liam and Arthur that had been the first gift under the tree. Now, as Zayn gazed at the photo, he felt thankful that Harry had insisted on putting the drawing under the tree or he wouldn’t have the man and little boy he loved more than anything in the world with him now.

With a smile, Zayn took the calendar and moved it into the kitchen so that it could take its rightful place on the hook on the wall when the new year started. Then he took Liam’s hand, pulling him to his feet and into his arms, stopping anything he had to say with a kiss. “Let’s go to bed, yeah?” 

Liam nodded and watched as Zayn walked down the hall towards the room. Having relived their relationship that day had reconfirmed for him that proposing was the right idea. Moving into the kitchen, he retrieved the ring from the junk drawer where he’d stashed it after the pancake incident. Twirling it between his fingers for a moment, he slid it into his pocket. _“Not tonight,”_ he thought as Zayn called his name from the bedroom. _“But soon. Very, very soon.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://66.media.tumblr.com/5c1af14f2bb81387553c0d6ed798801a/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo1_250.gif)  
> ([image link](https://66.media.tumblr.com/5c1af14f2bb81387553c0d6ed798801a/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo1_250.gif))


	7. Monday - Christmas Eve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Birthday, Louis Tomlinson! 
> 
> Hope everyone has had a great day! I spent the day with my kids and my mum relaxing and eating great food.
> 
> See you tomorrow!
> 
> xx-Joey

It was strange waking up Christmas Eve morning with the only sound being Zayn’s soft breathing beside him, but it wasn’t an unpleasant strange. He missed Arthur, but having time alone with Zayn was a novelty. Thankfully, he’d been lucky to find a man that not only loved him but love his son even more. There were some days, he thought maybe Zayn only stuck around for Arthur.

Rolling onto his side, he propped his head on his hand, elbow digging into the memory foam, as he watched Zayn sleep. He’d talked with his father months earlier about his relationship with Zayn, expressing his fears about how it would affect Arthur if the relationship didn’t last. After his father chastised him for his lack of faith in a relationship as strong as theirs, he asked Liam if he could imagine keeping Arthur away from Zayn for any reason other than fear for his son’s safety.

He hadn’t been able to then and he still couldn’t imagine it. He knew that asking Zayn to marry him was the right thing to do and he decided that he would ask him that night, right there in their house, with just them and Arthur. It didn’t need to be fancy or perfect, it just needed to be the three of them. Feeling confident, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to the center of Zayn’s forehead before crawling out of bed and heading into the bathroom to get ready to go to the animal shelter.

Zayn cracked an eye open as he heard the shower start. Moving quickly, he grabbed his clothes and threw them on. Leaving a note, he hurried out of the house and back towards his flat. He’d told Liam he just wanted to grab a few things, knowing he’d think Zayn meant clothing and some of the boxes they’d already packed. He did mean those things, but he also meant the ring and bracelet. He wasn’t going to wait any longer to propose. He was going to ask tonight at their house. I didn’t matter if the moment was perfect because every moment with Liam held its own bit of perfection because he loved him so much.

When he reached the shop, he pushed through the door and waved at Harry who nearly dropped the drink he was in the middle of making. “Zayn!” he shouted, shoving the cup into Stacey’s hands and raced around the counter to grab him by the arm. “What are you doing here?”

Pulling his arm out of his friend’s grasp, he gave Harry a strange look. “I need to grab a couple things from the flat,” he explained, moving towards the door to the stairs, nearly falling on his arse when Harry grabbed his arm again.

“Didn’t you already move everything to Liam’s?” Harry asked.

Zayn pulled his arm away again. “I know I don’t have a lot, but it’s going to take more than a couple days to move out. Besides, I kept one of Liam’s presents here.” He stepped forward again, just to have Harry grab him, so he whirled around on him. “Stop it! I don’t know what is, like, going on with you, but I am going up to my flat.”

Harry looked over his shoulder for a minute before nodding and turning away. “Sure, sure. Go ahead. Sorry,” he mumbled before heading back behind the counter and helping the next customer. Zayn noticed that Stacey had now disappeared, but shrugged it off.

As he climbed the stairs, he wondered about Harry’s strange behaviour, but shrugged it off; the holidays made everyone act crazy. He let himself into the flat and stopped when he noticed a small pair of shoes to the right of the door. They were definitely Arthur’s shoes, but he didn’t remember him leaving them there. At this point, anything was possible.

He quickly made his way into his room and opened the drawer and removed the two boxes before tucking them into one of the cardboard boxes that held his clothes and the photos he’d had hanging on the walls. He hurried down the stairs and out the door of the shop, glancing over his shoulder to be sure the sign announcing the shop was closing early that day and would be closed the following day was prominently displayed. Satisfied that it was, he made his way to the bus and back to the house.

Liam was sitting at the table when Zayn got back, letting himself in with his key and setting the box by the back door. He searched for Liam when he heard a muffled reply when Zayn called out for him. Walking towards the back of the house, he spotted the pull-down stairs for the attic. Climbing up, he found Liam going through the wrapped presents for Arthur.

“Did you get everything you needed?” he asked without looking up.

“There are a few more boxes of things I don’t need right away, so I’d say we can officially claim I live here.” He squatted down next to Liam as he counted the boxes. “Quality over quantity, babe.”

Liam nodded and glanced down at his watch. “We should get going so we can go to the shelter and then hit the pet stores to pick up whatever we need.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go after Christmas and have Arthur pick out the dog?” Zayn asked.

Liam shook his head. “I called this morning. She’s still there and ready for adoption.”

“The pup from when you volunteered last month?” Liam nodded. “Meant to be, then.”

Liam and Arthur had spent a Saturday in November helping out at the shelter. Liam cleaned out kennels and bathed the animals while Arthur filled food and water bowls and played with the animals. By the end of the day, he couldn’t stop talking about one pup in particular. If she’d been ready for adoption that day, Liam was sure she would’ve been coming home with them then.

Arriving at the shelter, the girl behind the counter greeted him by name. “Liam! Leigh-Anne told me you were coming in today!” She looked at his button up shirt and jeans. “I’m guessing you aren’t here to volunteer.”

“Not today, Perrie,” Liam told her. “We’re actually here to adopt.”

“Really? Where’s that cute little boy of yours, then?” She turned her attention to Zayn. “Not that I’m complaining about your company.”

Liam wrapped an arm around Zayn and pulled him into his side, pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek. “Back off. This one is all mine.”

“Oh! This is Zayn!” she squealed.

“Yes. This is Zayn. Zayn, this is Perrie. She’s one of four paid employees here. Her best friends Jesy, Jade, and Leigh-Anne also work here.”

As he finished speaking, a curvy, young woman with dark hair pulled back into a long ponytail stepped through the door. In her hands was a pink lead that was attached to a small white boxer with black ears and grey spots on her chest and back. “Hey, Liam. Leigh-Anne told me to bring this little beauty out to you. She’s busy with a new rescue.”

“Leigh-Anne is one of the two vets that work her. Jade is the other. This is Jesy,” Liam explained. “Jesy, this is Zayn.”

Zayn greeted her before kneeling on the ground and holding out a hand to the dog. “Who is this gorgeous creature?” he asked.

“This is Olivia,” Liam said, kneeling next to Zayn and laughing when Olivia jumped at him, yanking the lead out of Jesy’s hand and knocking Liam to the ground.

Zayn burst out laughing which caused Olivia to turn her attention on him. She jumped up and put her paws on his shoulders, licking his face. Thankfully, Zayn had been expecting the attack, so he stayed upright. “She’s got a lot of energy. How old is she?”

“About five years,” Jesy responded as Liam stood up, brushing himself off and moved to the counter to begin signing the papers that Perrie had for him. “She’s really sweet and fell in love with Arthur when he was here. She got really sad when he left.”

Zayn remembered now the many drawings Arthur had made of Olivia after he’d been here. The hours he’d spent talking about her and all of the things he’d learned about her breed. This really was the perfect dog for him, but he didn’t know how he was going to be able to wait until the next morning to give her to Arthur.

Twenty minutes later, they were in the car, Olivia sitting tall in her car harness in the backseat. Zayn spent most of the ride, turned around looking at her; the few times he focused his attention on Liam, she would give a small whine and he’d look at her again. When they got to the pet store, Olivia waited patiently for Liam to snap on her lead and then walked into the store next to him.

After an hour in the store, they walked out much poorer but with a cart full of everything they needed for Olivia. And a few things they didn’t but had been too cute to resist. They drove Olivia to Liam’s neighbors who was very excited to see the puppy. They waited until she was settled and then headed for the door, their hearts breaking when she started whining and trying to follow them outside.

When they got to the car, they looked back towards the house and saw her face in the window. It took everything in them not to go running back inside, but they had a couple more errands to run before picking up Arthur. “We’re giving her to him tonight, aren’t we?” Zayn finally asked, laughing when Liam nodded his head in the affirmative while saying, “No.”

Their next stop was the mobile store to pick up a phone for Arthur. Liam was still hesitant about giving a ten-year-old, nearly eleven-year-old, a mobile, but the sales associate pointed out all of the parental controls that Liam could use on the device. He also showed Liam and Zayn how they could track the phone. As they walked out, Liam was still a bit unsure of the decision but was less apprehensive than he had been in the beginning.

They went out for lunch and then headed back to the house. When they arrived, they put all of the dog items upstairs in the attic with the other gifts and then called Liam’s father to let him know they were on their way to get Arthur. His father answered just when Liam was sure the call was going to go to voicemail and said they weren’t home and would bring Arthur by later and then hung up before Liam could ask any questions.

“That was weird,” Liam said, staring at his phone. He told Zayn what had happened, wondering if he should call again.

“Arthur is in good hands with your parents,” he assured Liam, hugging him tightly. “Let’s just enjoy some more alone time before they call to say they’re bringing him home. Although he was still concerned about his father’s behaviour, he let Zayn distract him for a while.

Zayn was unpacking the box he’d brought over earlier in the day when his mobile began ringing. It was Harry’s ringtone and when he looked at the time, he realized the shop would have just closed for the holiday and figured he was just calling to say goodbye before he left with Louis to visit their families for the holidays. “Alright?” Zayn answered.

“Zayn! You have to come to the shop right now!” Harry sounded frantic and he could hear Louis shouting in the background.

Zayn dropped the shirt that was in his hand and ran into the living room where Liam jumped up from the floor where he’d been playing with Olivia; they had indeed decided to just surprise Arthur with her that night instead of waiting until morning. “What’s going on?” Zayn asked, grabbing Liam’s keys from the hook by the door and throwing them at him while he slipped his feet into his shoes, not bothering with the ties.

“Just get here,” Harry said, hanging up.

He was halfway to the car before Liam even got out the door, Olivia pulling on her lead and bouncing around like they were going on an adventure. He’d tried calling Harry back but it went straight to voicemail. His mind filled with all the worst case scenarios. A fire was the biggest one. He imagined arriving and seeing his dream, his life, up in flames and he held his breath.

Liam got behind the wheel, not saying a word, and drove toward the shop. Zayn kept an eye and an ear out for emergency vehicles, smoke, anything that would give him a hint what could possibly be wrong. His fingers tapped along his thighs, only stopping when Liam reached over and took one of them, squeezing it gently in a soothing rhythm.

As they pulled into a spot in front of the shop, Zayn was surprised to see it dark and seemingly empty. He tried calling Harry again and thought he saw a light inside the shop, but it went straight to voicemail again. Getting out, Zayn’s thoughts switched from fire to robbery. He was almost afraid to go inside; afraid he’d find his friend dead.

“I’m going in,” Zayn told Liam, jumping out of the car and going for the door, Olivia scrambling out just before Zayn closed the door.

Liam scrambled out of the car, trying to catch up to Zayn and grab for Olivia’s lead at the same time. He saw the look of horror on Zayn’s face and the dark shop and was afraid not only of what Zayn was thinking but of what was happening. All he knew was that Zayn had tossed his keys to him and rushed out the door.

Zayn had the door pulled open and one foot inside when Liam got hold of his arm. He jerked his arm away and took another step into the shop. “Zayn,” Liam whispered.

Suddenly, all the lights in the shop came on and a chorus of voices shouted out, “Surprise!”

Zayn shrieked and Liam stumbled back a couple of steps as he took in the scene in front of them. Arthur was standing in the center of the shop between Liam’s parents, a wide smile on his face and a small box in his hands wrapped in the same paper as all of the Secret Santa gifts.

At the sight of the boy, Olivia tugged the lead out of the stunned Liam’s hand and jumped at Arthur, nearly knocking him over. Confused, Arthur patted the dog’s head and looked up at his fathers.

Staring at the dog and the boy, it took a moment for Zayn to realize they weren’t alone in the shop. Standing scattered around were their friends. Louis and Harry were sitting on the counter, hands clasped between them. Stacey and her kids were over by the light switches, surprisingly with Lucas and Kelly as well. Finally, near the front of the shop stood Eowyn with Niall and Bressie.

“What the hell!” Zayn shouted, glaring at Harry, who hopped off the counter, holding his hands up in defense.

“It was Arthur’s idea!”

“Nice. Blame the kid,” Zayn snarled. “You scared the hell outta me! I thought the shop was on fire or you were robbed and dead!” Zayn’s face was suddenly coated with tears and Liam pulled him back against his chest as Arthur bolted across the shop and wrapped around him from the front, the gift falling at their feet. “I thought I lost you, too.” He sobbed into the top of Arthur’s head, the only thing keeping him standing was Liam.

“I’m sorry! Arthur told me to get you to come to the shop. I should’ve just said there was a problem with the plumbing or summat. I’m so stupid!” Harry was starting to cry now as well and Louis wrapped him in a hug.

“You’re not stupid, Harry,” Arthur argued. He looked like he wanted to hug Harry, but he wasn’t letting go of Zayn anytime soon. “You didn’t mean to scare Baba!”

“Baba?” Harry said, looking up suddenly. “Did you just call him Baba?”

“Yes,” Arthur said, voice firm and taking a step away from Zayn and Liam. “This is my Baba and my Papa.” Zayn sniffled and brought his crying under control, standing up a little straighter but holding Liam’s arms in place around his waist. “Baba, Papa, these are your Secret Santas.” He held his arms out wide to indicate the entire shop.

“All of you?” Liam asked, gaping as they nodded.

“Not us,” Lucas said, pointing to himself and Kelly. Stacey shoved him and the kids rolled their eyes. “We would’ve helped if we’d known though.”

“The viewfinders were from us,” Harry said, holding Louis’ hand again. “And the pastries.”

“The salt and pepper shakers were from us,” Gavin announced while Gwen nodded.

“We got them from the Santa Shop at school,” she told them.

“The necklaces came from us,” Niall added as Bressie nodded.

“We got you the tour tickets,” Geoff said, smiling as Karen stepped forward to hug the men.

“I was responsible for the calendar and the travel cups,” Eowyn added, although that one Zayn and Liam had already figured it out. “I supplied them, but Arthur came up with the idea.”

“Arthur arranged everything,” Karen explained. “He came up with the theme when he found my album of _Love Is…_ comics. He’s been working on this for months. He told us what gifts everyone should get, but he’s yet to tell us what _he_ got you.”

“Really?” Liam asked, looking down at his son who had picked up the present again. “I’m really impressed.”

“Me, too,” Zayn said, hugging him close, laughing when he pushed away.

“Today and tomorrow’s gifts are from me,” Arthur told them, handing over the present. “Go sit on the sofa before you open it.”

Listening to Arthur’s instructions, they sat on their usual sofa, noticing the low table had been moved out of the way, leaving just the rug in its place. “Whose turn is it?” Liam asked and Zayn shrugged. “Together?”

Working together, they tore off the paper and open the box inside to reveal a comic. Unfolding it, Liam choked when he saw the words on the page. He looked up at Zayn who was looking as shocked as he was. “Love is...tying the knot,” they said at the same time. Liam thought about the ring in his drawer at home while Zayn thought about the ring and bracelet hidden in the nightstand at the house.

Arthur cleared his throat and they turned their attention on him, surprised to see him kneeling on the floor in front of them, one hand held out to each of them. In each hand was a ring pop, red for Liam and yellow for Zayn. “Papa and Baba, will you marry each other so we can officially become a family?”

Looking from his son to the love of his life, he was relieved to see tears in their eyes matching their own. Liam nodded his head just as Zayn nodded his. Arthur cheered and stood to slip the rings on their fingers before sliding an orange ring pop onto his own. The coffee shop filled with cheers as the three hugged, Liam and Zayn sharing a tender kiss over Arthur’s head.

When the kiss ended, Olivia jumped up from the floor where she’d pretty much been forgotten about. “What’s Olivia doing here?” Arthur asked as she began licking his face and everyone in the shop came forward to pet her and offer their congratulations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://66.media.tumblr.com/7226c742d6c1ea86bb8ee255d215825a/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo8_250.gif)  
> ([image link](https://66.media.tumblr.com/7226c742d6c1ea86bb8ee255d215825a/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo8_250.gif))  
> Tomorrow's chapter will probably be posted later in the day because a) I have to finish it and b) I have to work. It will be posted before the day ends though, so don't worry.


	8. Tuesday - Christmas Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS!
> 
> Here we are, the final day of posting. Hope everyone enjoyed the story!
> 
> Thank you again to my betas, Cristina and Jenn, for everything! Thank you to everyone who kudo'd, commented and cheered me on. Every one of you is appreciated more than you know!
> 
> See you next year! (Maybe)
> 
> xx-Joey

The sun wasn’t even up when Zayn was jerked awake by a tongue running roughly over his cheek. He flailed and nearly fell off the edge of the bed, saved only by Liam’s quick reflexes. He was dangling off the edge, Liam’s hand tangled in his shirt the only thing keeping him from a brutal meeting with the bedroom floor. Arthur started giggling as Olivia barked, trying to get another lick into Zayn’s face.

“Not funny,” he said, his wide smile giving away his true feelings as he shuffled backward onto the bed, squawking when Liam grabbed him around the middle and pulled him into a hug. 

“I’ll save you from the evil canine and his doubly evil master The Early Riser!” Liam declared, pulling the blankets over their heads, keeping his arms over their heads as Olivia and Arthur started crawling all over them. When Zayn gave out a pained sound, he realized he probably should’ve been protecting other parts of their bodies.

After a few more minutes of silliness, Liam got too warm and threw the blankets off. “I surrender!” he shouted, making Zayn laugh. Grabbing Arthur, he pulled him in for a cuddle between the two of them for a moment before pushing him to the edge of the bed. “Go wake Nana and Grandpapa while Zayn and I get the coffee started.”

Arthur’s energy despite the early wake up did not wane. In fact, by the time presents were opened, it seemed to increase. Arthur and Olivia were playing in the piles of wrapping paper, ignoring the actual gifts while Karen and Zayn worked on making a huge breakfast. Geoff was trying to sleep in the recliner while Liam chased after Arthur and the dog trying to clean up the mess. 

Once everyone was settled down at the table to eat, Arthur took a bite before turning to Zayn and asking with his mouth full. “Baba, who delivered presents?”

Exchanging a look with Liam, Zayn gave the explanation they had agreed upon. “First, finish chewing. Second, Santa Claus, of course.”

“But  _ you’re _ Santa,” Arthur argued.

“Not anymore. I retired to spend all my Christmases with you and your father,” he told him. “It’s someone else’s turn.”

“Do you know who?” 

Zayn grinned because it was something he had mentioned, but not confirmed with the person he was about to throw under the bus. “Harry,” he whispered, “but don’t tell anyone.” Arthur’s eyes grew wide and he zipped his lips shut, but from the twinkle in his eye, Zayn knew that Harry would have his hands full the next time Arthur saw him.

After breakfast, they settled onto the sofa to watch Christmas movies together until Geoff decided it was time for him and Karen to head home and let the newly engaged family spend some time together. Hugs and kisses were exchanged, Zayn holding onto Karen a bit longer than anyone else because she always made him miss his mum.

Zayn knew that no one could replace his family, but for the first time since the accident, he felt part of an actual family again. As he looked at the plastic left from the ring pops the day before sitting on the sideboard, he knew that no matter what insecurities snuck into his heart and brain, Arthur and Liam were his as much as he was theirs.

Watching Liam and Arthur stand at the back door pointing and laughing at Olivia playing in the dusting of snow that had fallen the night before, he knew that despite the fact they were engaged already, it was the perfect time. Sneaking away down the hall, he walked over to the nightstand and pulled the drawer open. 

Once he had the two jewelry boxes in hand, he went back to the living room, surprised to find Arthur by himself. “Papa went to the toilet,” Arthur said when he saw Zayn glancing around.

Settling on the sofa, Zayn played with the boxes, drawing Arthur’s attention. “What are those?”

“Gifts for you and your father,” Zayn told him, laughing when Arthur made grabby hands. “I need to give them to you at the same time.”

“I’ll go get him!” Arthur scrambled to his feet and ran down the hall. “What are you doing in here?” Zayn heard him ask.

A few moments passed and Zayn pushed to his feet to pace over to the tree, looking at the ornaments that hung between the branches. He cupped the clothespin reindeer that Arthur had made at school and given to him under the Christmas Tree in the shop the previous year. His mind went over falling in love with Liam slowly and not even realizing it until he’d woken up in the hospital with Liam holding his hand.

A tear slid down his cheek, surprising him. He wiped it away quickly before others could join it. “Zayn?” 

He turned to see Liam standing in the entrance to the living room next to Arthur. The boy had his hands behind his back and was bouncing on his toes, but stopped when he saw Zayn’s face. “Baba?”

“I’m alright,” he assured the boy as he took a moment to slide the gift boxes into his back pockets, thankful he was wearing loose jeans that day. “I need to talk to you both. Sit.”

Liam’s felt the blood drain from his face at Zayn’s words, but he and Arthur moved to the sofa to sit next to each other. Once they were down, Zayn turned away for a minute and Liam grabbed the box Arthur had been hiding behind his back and shoved it between the sofa cushions just as Zayn turned back to them.

“What’s wrong?” Liam asked before Zayn could say anything.

“Wrong?” Zayn was honestly confused by the question. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“You were crying,” Arthur said, looking beyond Zayn for a second before crossing to the door where Olivia had her face pressed to the glass.

“Just missing my family,” Zayn told him. Olivia whined at Zayn’s feet, so he knelt next to her, scratching behind her ears, taking the opportunity to gather his thoughts as Arthur settled next to his father again.

“When I lost them, I lost a lot of myself,” Zayn began. “I lost my strength and belief in myself. This past year, because of the two of you, I found those things again. I know you already did this last night, Arthur, but…” He trailed off as he reached into his back pockets and withdrew the two boxes, popping open first the bracelet and then the ring before holding them out to their intended recipients. “Will you two marry me and let me be a part of your family?”

Liam gaped and Arthur started giggling. “I can’t marry you, silly, but I’ll be your son.” Zayn swallowed past the lump in his throat as he set down Liam’s ring to help Arthur attach the bracelet around his wrist. He hugged him, burying his face in the boy’s hair, worrying because Liam still hadn’t spoken.

“I’m-” Zayn cut off as he turned to look at Liam who had moved to kneel next to him, a bright smile on his face and a black ring box in his hand. “What?”

“Do you think it’s a good sign for a marriage to start with three proposals?” Liam asked, popping open the box to reveal a black ring with silver infinity symbols weaving through the center of it.

Tears were falling again as Zayn gasped into his hand and reached shakily out to trace a finger over the ring. Liam removed it from the box and held it up, eyes wide in expectation. Zayn nodded, holding his hand out as Liam slipped it on. He admired it for a moment before he picked up the box he’d set down earlier and pulled out Liam’s ring, sliding it onto the hand that Liam held out to him.

Once the rings were in place, they held their hands up, palms together before leaning in and sharing a kiss. Arthur was making gagging noises, but they just ignored him. Olivia jumping up and licking between their faces was a bit harder to ignore, so they broke apart laughing and wrestling with the dog. Liam pulled Arthur off the sofa and into the mess, tickling him until they all collapsed in an exhausted tangle of limbs.

“One more present,” Arthur announced when he got his voice back. Rolling onto his stomach, he reached underneath the sofa to pull out a rectangular present with familiar wrappings.

Deciding to remain on the floor, they leaned their backs against the seat of the sofa, Arthur between the two men. “Why don’t you open it for us?” Liam suggested and Arthur grinned before he started tearing into the paper to reveal a white clothing box. 

Removing the lid revealed a sheaf of papers held together with a large black binder clip. On top of the clip was a bejeweled red heart. Arthur removed the clip and moved the blank sheet of paper on the top. “Niall promised to help me get this bound, but I didn’t finish in time,” Arthur explained. 

The first page showed a drawing and at first, Liam thought it was of the comic from the first Secret Santa gift,  _ “Love is...a memory locked in your heart forever.” _ He admired the skill his son showed in his artwork and knew Zayn’s input was to thank for that.

“Sick,” Zayn said to Arthur. “Was that your idea, too?”

“What?” Liam asked, looking at the drawing again.

“Hold on,” Arthur said, scrambling to his feet, taking the papers with him and disappearing down the hall. He returned a moment later with an album that Liam recognized.

“That’s Nana’s!” he exclaimed. Taking it from Arthur, he flipped it open, looking for the comic to match the drawing. When he found it, he realized what Zayn had been talking about. “You redrew it so it’s me and Zayn.”

Arthur grinned and moved to the next page to reveal  _ “Love is...getting constant cuddles.” _ They admired that one for a moment before Arthur continued through to reveal reworkings of each of the comics. When they got to  _ “Love is...tying the knot,” _ Liam and Zayn hugged Arthur close to them. 

“This is amazing, son,” Liam said, smiling at Zayn’s tear-filled eyes; his fiance was certainly emotional today. His grin grew as he whispered, “My fiance,” earning a grin from Zayn. He started to stand, but Arthur stopped him.

“There’s one more, Papa.” 

“That’s the one from last night,” Zayn pointed out.

“And this is the one for today,” Arthur told him, taking the album from Liam and finding a page and showing it to them. The comic showed a large heart with an arrow through it and  _ “You Me” _ written inside it. The little naked couple were sitting on top with their arms around each other, little cartoon bums on display.  _ “Love is...Everything,” _ was the saying. 

Zayn and Liam looked at Arthur when they were both done studying the comic and with a shy smile, he revealed the final drawing. “Oh, my! Lookit your bum!” Liam said, tickling Arthur’s side.

“This is perfect,” Zayn told him, voice low with awe.

The drawing showed the same heart and arrow, but the word  _ “Us” _ was displayed on it. Sitting atop the heart now was clearly Zayn and Liam with Arthur in the middle, his little arms stretched across Liam and Zayn’s backs, and their hands joined behind his. “Your son is so talented,” he told Liam.

“ _ Our _ son is pretty amazing,” Liam returned. “Arthur, instead of binding these, can we frame them and hang them in the hall with the family photos?” Arthur nodded his head eagerly and ran from the room; Liam knew he was going in search of the extra frames that his mum had bought on a whim one day.

“A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed this,” Zayn told Liam as his fingers hovered over the words on the page. Liam slid into the space Arthur had vacated and pulled Zayn into his arms, resting his chin on his shoulder. 

“And now?” he asked.

“Now.” Zayn gave a soft smile as he looked around the room, eyes falling first on the Christmas Tree, then Olivia chewing a bone in the corner, Arthur as he walked back into the room looking crestfallen at having failed to find the frames, and finally Liam who bit his lip. “It’s the only thing I do believe. Love is…” He kissed Liam’s forehead and pulled Arthur down into a cuddle which was soon invaded by Olivia. “Everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://66.media.tumblr.com/6a2e8e7f1eb8d8e7b82bee21c2941389/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo3_250.gif) | [](https://www.ultraimg.com/image/PKdw) |   
> ---|---|---  
> ([image link](https://66.media.tumblr.com/6a2e8e7f1eb8d8e7b82bee21c2941389/tumblr_pk0e0kcwZO1r9qpkpo3_250.gif)) | ([image link](https://www.ultraimg.com/image/PKdw))  
> [](https://www.ultraimg.com/image/PKdq) | [](https://www.ultraimg.com/image/PKdr)  
> ([Zayn's Ring Image Link](https://ultraimg.com/images/2018/12/26/PKdq.gif)) | ([Liam's Ring Image Link](https://ultraimg.com/images/2018/12/26/PKdr.gif))  
>   
> Credit to Cristina for redrawing the comic. It was the perfect touch and inspiration to get me to finish.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Leave a comment and let me know what you think so far!
> 
> Feel free to come talk to me on [tumblr](http://josjournal.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/JolynnMG). I love meeting new people! :D


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